


Habit of You

by angellwings



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama & Romance, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-03-22 01:49:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 103,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13753707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angellwings/pseuds/angellwings
Summary: What if Lucy's accident didn't send her running toward control and safety? What if it sent her running toward her band instead? What if Jessica was never murdered? What if she and Wyatt divorced instead? How would this alternate timeline's Lucy and Wyatt meet?





	1. The Set Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first half of this was posted as a drabble in my "Things You Said Through Time" collection but I got a few comments and reviews asking for a continuation which has now become a multichip lol. I have chapter two finished already and normally I would wait till I'd at least finished Chapter 3 but I'm going to be out of town a lot in the coming few weeks so I ran a poll on twitter to see what everyone preferred and posting this story tonight won by a landslide.  
> Enjoy!

Wyatt was not a fan of weddings and not just because they reminded him of his own failed marriage. Sure, that was a factor, but there was much more to it. When you're single at a wedding someone in the bridal party always anticipates introducing you to other single people. Like the happiness of the newlyweds was a guarantee that other people could find love too. And maybe they were right, but Wyatt wasn't looking for anyone. He'd had his shot at wedded bliss as far as he was concerned and he blew it. He doubted what he had with Jess could happen twice in his lifetime. Jessica was much too good for him anyway. Everyone told him so, his whole life.

And he'd proved them right.

He'd sat in the back during the ceremony and then raced out of there as soon as it was over. He was one of the first guests to arrive at the reception. He knew he couldn't leave the reception until he'd at least talked to the bride and groom. One of his Delta Force buddies, Bam-Bam, had married a musician. A drummer, Wyatt was pretty sure. He'd only met Celia a handful of times, but she seemed nice enough and Dave was certainly crazy about her.

He remembered Dave telling him that Celia's band was playing the music for the wedding. It was what they did, after all. They were a professional cover band for weddings, parties, and corporate events.

When he entered the tents that housed the reception he heard the band doing their sound check. Which meant he was extremely early. He found his seat which was apparently at the same table as Celia's band, judging by the handbags and coats spread across the chairs. A bright laugh sounded from the stage and he felt a jolt deep in his chest. His eyes sought out the source of the laugh that caused the strange thrill he felt somewhere inside of him and he found it.

The brunette standing in front of the microphone in a fitted lemon yellow dress laughed again at something the lead guitarist said and he felt the same jolt again. He loved that laugh. He'd never heard it before but he wanted to hear it again. Her eyes sparkled and her smile was wide. His eyes raked over her and he prayed she didn't notice him staring. He grinned when his eyes landed on her bare feet. The shoes were discarded next to the microphone stand.

She was beautiful and he was instantly drawn to her. He gulped and inwardly cursed. He stood from the table and headed for fresh air. This wasn't going to happen. He did not want to meet anyone. It was better to be alone. Jess couldn't take his career and Jess was the sweetest and most patient woman he'd ever met. If she couldn't handle it then who could? No one.

He took a deep breath when he reached the open night sky and sat down in the grass. Open space was just what he needed. He sat in quiet peace for an indeterminable amount of minutes. A few other guests had started to trickle in and he could see even more cars trying to park in the distance. So he guessed he'd been sitting in the grass for fifteen to twenty minutes.

"Well, you look comfortable," a female voice said from behind him. "Mind if I join you?"

He knew exactly who he would see when he turned around. The voice matched the laugh. "Help yourself," he said with a small grin as he turned to face the brunette from Celia's band. "You might want to be careful with your dress, though, can't have the wedding singer ruining her outfit."

She laughed and he let out a soft hiss at the now familiar jolt in his chest.

He saw her carefully lay a shawl on the ground beside of him before she sat with her legs extended out in front of her. She leaned on her left hand and held her right out toward him.

"I'm Lucy," she said as he accepted her hand. "You are?"

"Wyatt," he said as they shook hands.

"Ah," she said with a smile. "Dave's friend. He's mentioned you once or twice."

"And you're in Celia's band," he told her. It was all he knew about her. Dave had never mentioned her.

"And former room mate," Lucy said with a chuckle. "She kicked me out to make room for Dave. Now I live with this girl who, while perfectly nice, has Star Trek posters covering every wall in her living room. But an affordable room is an affordable room."

"Star Trek's not so bad," Wyatt offered. "Used to love the original as a kid."

"Never really been a scifi fan myself," she told him. "I'm more of a history nerd. I could binge History Channel all day long, though I'd probably spend half of it yelling at them for being wrong."

He chuckled at her and turned to really look at her for the first time. God, she was even prettier up close. Her hair framed her face in long soft waves and her eyes were a very warm and inviting shade of brown. He had to remind himself to breathe before he could manage to speak.

"You were one of those nerdy over achievers in school, weren't you?"

"My mother is a history professor. It would have been considered a personal slight against her if I wasn't the absolute perfect student," Lucy said with a chuckle. But there was a dark edge to it that told him there was more to that story. She gave him a long once over and, maybe he'd imagined it, but she seemed to linger on his eyes longer than necessary. "Let me guess, you were one of those athletic under achievers who snuck beer onto the football field after practice?"

His brow furrowed and he smirked at her. "That was oddly specific."

"But accurate, right?" She asked with her own smirk.

"Unfortunately," he admitted with a self deprecating grin.

"I'm sure you enjoyed high school more than I did," Lucy told him with a kind smile. "I don't think I broke a single rule during all four years of high school."

"I'm pretty sure I broke every rule at least once," he told her with a chuckle.

"So, what you're saying is that we would not have been friends?" She asked with a teasing smile.

"Highly doubtful, ma'am."

"Ma'am?" She asked with a slightly offended expression. "Do I look like a ma'am to you? Cause I'm pretty sure we're basically the same age."

He gave her a crooked smirk and took in the attitude in her expression. He already liked this woman. Probably too much. "Delta Force. You see, when you're in the special forces, they teach you to be polite."

She lifted a brow and smiled slowly. "And does that line normally work for you, soldier?"

He shrugged as he chuckled. "Sometimes." More like always.

"Probably more than sometimes given those baby blues of yours," Lucy said as she threw a flirtatious grin at him.

"You been looking at my baby blues, have you?" He asked her with a teasing smirk.

She blushed and ducked her head. "Sort of hard to ignore them."

He scratched the back of his neck nervously before tossing her a bashful smile. "Kinda like your laugh, I guess."

Their eyes met and her blush deepened. Their gazes and smiles lingered on each other for a long moment. Neither of them were really sure where to go from here.

"No! You've already met!" A voice yelled in a dismayed tone.

They both jumped slightly and looked up to find Celia and Dave striding toward them. Celia was the one who'd yelled. Dave laughed as they came to a stop in front of them.

"She wanted to be the one to introduce you," Dave explained. "She was convinced sparks would fly."

Lucy bit her bottom lip nervously and gave Wyatt a secretive glance. Even having just met her he knew what she was trying to say. Celia definitely wasn't _wrong_. They'd felt quite a few sparks. Despite himself, he wanted to feel more of them. He knew he didn't deserve to but damn it if Lucy wasn't already addictive.

They settled for moving past the awkward moment and focusing on the bride and groom instead. Lucy almost immediately started a hushed one on one conversation with Celia and Wyatt, sensing it was something private had turned his back on the pair to talk to Dave.

"Congratulations, man," Wyatt said as she patted his friend on the back. "Never thought I'd see the day with the amount of women you used to pick up," he said with a teasing smirk.

"Hey, you know, it's honestly astonishing that Celia came back into my life at all so I wasn't going to waste it," Dave said with a soft grin.

Wyatt nodded. Celia and Dave had grown up together, sweethearts from age 13 until high school graduation. But they'd broken up and gone their separate ways over a fight about Celia going to school in California. They grew apart until one day right after Dave moved to San Francisco he'd run into Celia at the grocery store. It was the first time they'd seen each other in years and yet it all still felt the same, he'd said. Dave wasted no time moving the relationship along. They'd only been back together about three months when Dave proposed. It seemed sudden to everyone who knew him now, but he knew for him and Celia this felt like it was a long time coming.

Wyatt was a bit jealous of their story. His was similar only it didn't have so happy of an ending. He'd married his childhood sweetheart when he was very young, probably too young, and they'd grown apart instead of together. Where as Dave and Celia separated and had time to figure out who they were before coming back together. Maybe if he and Jess had done that they'd still be together. He'd never know and he shouldn't dwell on it, but sometimes...

Well, he didn't like to fail. It wasn't so much that he was still in love with Jessica. He would always love her in some way, but he knew he wasn't in love with her. But the fact that he failed at making her happy made him question whether he could make anyone happy. So, yeah, every now and then he studied his failure and wondered how he could improve. What could he do differently? Although, he'd only met one person recently who made him want to put his thoughts on that subject into practice. He glanced over at Lucy from the corner of his eye and wondered what she'd say if he asked her to dinner or out for a drink. She seemed interested. The attraction was certainly mutual. He could tell.

He heard Dave laugh and he turned to look at him when he realized neither of them had said anything for several minutes.

"Man, Celia is not going to let me forget this," Dave told him with a grin. "She said you'd like Lucy and I said I didn't think you were in a place to really like anyone right now. She was right. I was wrong."

"I'm not sure I understand why I like her, though," Wyatt admitted sheepishly. "All she did was laugh once and it was like I couldn't see anything else. I don't know anything about her except she was a nerd in high school, her mom's a professor," he paused and then smirked before he continued. "And she doesn't like to be called ma'am."

"Which I'm sure means you plan to call her that for the rest of the night. I know you, Logan," Dave said with a chuckle.

"Can't blame me if her irritated expression was pretty damn attractive," Wyatt said with a grin.

"If you like her," Dave told him with an encouraging expression. "Then don't talk yourself out of it, man. You deserve to be happy. I know you think otherwise given how things ended with Jess, but you do deserve it. So, just...enjoy it, okay?"

"Yeah," Wyatt said with a sigh. "I think I'm starting to see that."

* * *

Okay, so she'd talked to the extremely handsome blue eyed stranger and maybe even flirted a little but now she wished she hadn't because Celia looked like the cat that ate the canary and that was never a good thing. Besides, Lucy was already seeing someone...sort of. Maybe. If she could get passed the blind rage that filled her every time she thought about his stupid stubbly face. But that was an issue for another time.

"What are you doing?" Lucy hissed at Celia in a harsh whisper.

"I believe I just got married," Celia said with a teasing smirk as she motioned down the length of her wedding dress.

"Celia, seriously," Lucy said as she lifted an accusing brow at her.

"Oh, come on," Celia said with an eye roll as she pushed a fly away strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. "Wyatt's great. Just what you need."

"You remember that I'm seeing Noah, right?" Lucy asked with a small grin. "Doctor with a stupid stubbly face who always brings us an expensive bottle of wine when he comes over and actually calls when he tells me he will-"

"And lies to you about being besties with your super controlling mother."

Ouch. Yeah, okay, that was the truth but did she have to throw it at her like that? "He didn't really lie," Lucy said lamely.

Celia scoffed. "Yeah, okay. That's bullshit. Did he know about you and your mom?"

She sighed and tried to shove down the anger boiling in her gut. "Yes."

"Then there's no excuse," Celia said with a shrug.

"You never liked him anyway," Lucy said with a small grin.

"Nope, but this has nothing to do with that. As your friend, I know you deserve better."

"Better than an attractive and successful doctor?" Lucy asked in amusement.

"Better than a liar and a phony," Celia told her with a grim expression. Lucy sighed and shook her head just as Celia's serious expression faded away and she turned a gentle smile on Lucy. "But Wyatt? Wyatt is legit. The real deal. _Trust me_. I mean, you're not speaking to Noah right now anyway, right?"

Lucy nodded and gave her a skeptical glance.

"And you definitely felt _something_ with Wyatt, didn't you?"

Lucy smiled slowly at Celia and begrudgingly admitted, "Yes."

"Then give it a shot, for me at least," Celia asked her.

"Fine," Lucy agreed with a shake of her head. "But only because you're the bride."

"Hell, yes I am," Celia said with a beaming smile. "But really, Lucy, are you not _pissed_ at Noah? I would be."

"I'm totally pissed," Lucy declared as her lips set in a firm line and she clenched her hands into fists. A second later her hands relaxed and she let out a calming exhale. "I'm just...trying to understand. I mean he's still Noah. Knowing my mother doesn't automatically make him just like her, does it?"

"He lied to you, Luce," Celia reminded her. "And didn't you say he kept trying to get you to set up dinner or a brunch or something with her? Like begging you to meet her so you two could patch things up?"

"Yeah," she said with a furrowed brow. "But maybe he was just being a concerned friend?"

"Or maybe he was doing your mother a favor," Celia said in a wary tone. She already knew that thought had crossed Lucy's mind.

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know. I mean, my mother is a piece of work but would she really send some guy to spy on me?"

"I'm just saying, something to think about. Either way, this whole situation is _weird_ and I don't trust him," Celia said with a shrug and worried glance. "Besides, before all this drama you told me you didn't even think you liked him that much."

"I said I wasn't sure that I liked him as much as he likes me, and I'm still not sure about that. But I feel like I _should_ like him. I mean, he's nice and has a steady job. He's attractive, not afraid of commitment, and stable. Do you know how rare of a find that is around here?" Lucy paused and then chuckled as she gave Celia's bridal gown a once over. "Of course you don't. You have Dave."

"Are you kidding? Not even Dave checks all of those boxes," Celia said with a soft laugh. "He's never going to be 'stable' not with his job. Even now when he's on a stateside mission I never know when he's going to be working or at home. I mean, he's on call _right now_. I'm not kidding. He has his phone in his jacket pocket and if he gets a call he's gone. Whatever this mission is, it's non stop. I can't make any plans that involve him ever. We're not even going on a honeymoon. We have to wait until this mission is over. Whenever the hell that will be."

Lucy shook her head at her friend in admiration and wonder. "How do you deal with that?"

"Easy,” She said with a serene smile. “I love him. I'd rather be here when he comes home, whenever that is, than be somewhere else without him. I want whatever time he can give me as long as I get him back between missions. That's all I need. I'd put up with anything just to be the one who's there for him every moment of every day. To be the person who sees all of him. Imperfections and all," she said with warm eyes and a soft affectionate smile. "I just want to love him. That's all."

"I have no idea what that feels like," Lucy admitted glumly.

"Yet another reason to forget Noah for a while and find out what might happen with Wyatt," Celia told her brightly. "You've been dating Noah for a month. You'd know by now if you could potentially feel that way about him."

Celia was right. Celia was usually always right. She didn't feel any of that for Noah, but then Lucy had always chalked that destined kind of love up to fairy tales and daydreams. It didn't actually happen. At least not to her.


	2. Choices and Truth

 

* * *

Lucy and Wyatt went their separate ways after greeting the bride and groom. Lucy went to the stage with the band to introduce the bridal party and play their first set and Wyatt went to the table he'd been assigned to eat and wait. He was seated with the band so he had the table to himself for the time being. He didn't mind the quiet. It meant he didn't have to make small talk. He hated small talk.

Though, he hated weddings too and this one wasn't turning out too badly. He looked up at the stage and grinned at Lucy as she sang. She really was beautiful and he could tell she loved her music. He was definitely intrigued.

While the band played the happy couple made their rounds and he was surprised to see Celia break away from Dave and make her way to him. Dave had good taste in women. Celia was a striking redhead with a bright green eyes and he found himself amused when those bright eyes turned on him with a protective glare. She stopped in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Mind if I kiss the bride?" Wyatt asked with an amused grin.

Her glare narrowed but she nodded. Wyatt gave in to tradition and kissed her quickly on the cheek. As he stepped back she finally spoke.

"You do like Lucy, right?" She asked. "Cause she's the _best_."

He chuckled at her. "I knew someone was gonna try this."

"Try what?" Celia asked in confusion.

"To set up the sad divorced guy," Wyatt said with a wan smile and shrug.

She rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. "That is not what this is. Seriously, my bestie is not a pity hook up. This is a _very serious_ matchmaking attempt. She's dating this awful guy and she needs to know what an actual good guy looks like."

"I am _not_ a good guy," Wyatt said with a sigh as his expression sobered.

"Bullshit," Celia told him with a soft smile.

"If she's dating someone," Wyatt said as he ignored her last response. "Why set her up at all? Is she happy with this guy?"

Celia let out a dry chuckle before she replied. "I'm not even sure she actually _likes_ this guy, honestly. But, regardless, he's nowhere near good enough for her."

"And you think I am?" Wyatt asked her in disbelief. Surely Dave told her about Jess. How could she think that? He wasn't good enough for anyone, really.

Celia nodded. "And Dave agrees. Look, I'm not asking you to marry her or anything...just, I don't know, have _fun_. You both deserve it."

Wyatt gave her a small smile and nodded. He didn't know Celia as well as he should but he certainly liked her a great deal. "I'll try," he told her. "Congratulations, you've been good for Bam-Bam. I'm glad he has you."

She smiled warmly at him and patted his arm. " _I'm_ glad he has friends like _you_ , Wyatt. Whether you think so or not, you _are_ a good guy."

He appreciated the sentiment but she was wrong. There was no way he was a good _enough_ guy for Celia's friend. No matter how addictive Lucy's laugh was.

* * *

The band played for an hour and then took a break to eat. They finally joined him at the table and Lucy gave him a concerned look as she sat down with her plate of food.

"I'm sorry Celia put you at our table," she told him. "I'm afraid that means you're on your own a lot."

He chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "I don't mind. I have a feeling some of my Delta Force buddies have their plans to set me up. The less mingling I have to do the better."

She laughed and nodded. "Yeah, with a friend like Celia I absolutely know the feeling. Let me introduce you to the rest of the band."

She pointed around the table, first stopping at a guy close to Wyatt's age with a full ZZ Top beard. "That's Garth, our lead guitarist." Garth gave a little wave before Lucy pointed to a much more dapper looking man with a clean shaven face and slicked back hair. "That's Kevin, our keyboardist." Next was a tanned skinned purple haired woman with a full tattoo sleeves that totally contradicted the elegant pale blue dress she was wearing. "And that's Sherry, she plays bass." Lucy didn't point to the last guy at the table, but she did bite her bottom lip and give him a hesitant look. "And, um, he is filling in for Celia since, you know, the bride couldn't play drums at her own wedding, and, uh, his name is...it's...Winston?"

Wyatt bit back a laugh at Lucy's expense as the guy nodded and then focused on his food.

She breathed a sigh of relief and leaned toward Wyatt. "I can't believe I remembered that."

This time he did laugh. "Me either. I thought you'd struck out there for a second."

She rolled her eyes at him with an amused smile and then addressed the table again. "And, guys, this is Wyatt."

"Wyatt?" Garth asked. "Oh, right. Dave's friend."

The rest of the table nodded and Wyatt stared at them all in surprise.

"Okay, how does everyone know who I am? Does Dave talk about me a lot or something?" Wyatt asked with a slightly worried expression.

"He tells Cely stories," Kevin replied. Cely, Wyatt assumed, was a nickname for Celia.

"And Cely tells _us_ the stories," Sherry told Wyatt with a smirk.

"Good stories?" Wyatt asked them curiously.

"That depends," Lucy said with a chuckle and a grin. "Is the story of how you went out for a beer in DC and woke up in the middle of a field in Virginia a _good_ story?"

He smirked slowly at her and shrugged. "It probably would be if we remembered what happened in between going out and waking up."

Lucy laughed and nodded. "Been there, done that."

"With Celia," Garth told Wyatt before tossing Lucy a teasing grin. "They've always been our party girls."

"No, no, no," Lucy said defensively. "Celia is the party girl. I just go with her to make sure she doesn't get herself killed."

"And yet majority of the time you end up just as wasted as she does," Sherry said with a light laugh.

"Not fair," Lucy told them. "You all know how persuasive Cely can be. Plus, she kept telling me I was repressed."

"You were and still are," Kevin told her with a roll of his eyes before he feigned a cough that sounded a lot like the name "Noah."

Lucy ignored him and turned to face Wyatt. "Please forgive my bandmates. They're ridiculous."

Wyatt laughed and gave her an amused smile before shrugging waving his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I'm used to it. This is nothing compared to my unit."

"Ah, yes," Lucy said with a nod. "You're Delta Force like Dave. I'd imagine that would make you very close as a team."

"Nothing better for bonding than high stress situations," he said as he forced a light tone. A wedding and a first conversation with a woman he might be interested in was no time to talk seriously about his job. Lucy, though, seemed to have other ideas.

"I'm sure," Lucy said as she gave him a worried glance. "I can't imagine doing what you do." She said with such reverence and respect that he couldn't help but meet her eyes.

Nor could he stop his next words from leaving his mouth. "Sometimes I can't either," he admitted. He froze as soon as he heard himself speaking. Where had that come from? Why had he told her that? He cleared his throat and then placed a crooked smirk on his face to distract from the heavy turn the conversation had almost taken. "Then again, I also can't imagine being in a band."

She took the hint and let the subject change before grinning slowly at him. She shook her head before speaking. "It's really not all that hard. Just get used to barely scraping by from month to month, hearing a _lot_ of the word 'no', being heckled or catcalled by total strangers, and living out of a suitcase. There, done, you imagined it."

He scoffed and gave her a sympathetic smile. "So, what you're saying is, our careers aren't all that different?"

She laughed lightly at that. "Sure," she said sarcastically. "Exactly the same, except I carry a microphone and you carry a gun."

"Would you do anything else?" He asked her. He didn't know why he was so curious all of a sudden. But he wanted to know as much as he could about her.

"No," she said as warmth flooded her face and she smiled brightly. "I thought, once upon a time, that I wanted to be a teacher or a professor and maybe I would have been good at that, but I absolutely love music and, believe it or not, spending time with these losers," she said as she motioned around the table to her bandmates. "Well, except Winston. I don't really know him." she turned her head toward Winston and then said, "No offense."

Winston shrugged. "None taken," he said before he put a forkful of salad in his mouth.

"Did she just call us losers?" Sherry asked Garth from across the table.

"Yes," Lucy answered with a wide smile. "I did."

Sherry thought about it for a long moment and then nodded. "Yeah, sounds accurate."

She went back to her chicken and Wyatt had to laugh. This band certainly was some kind of interesting group of people.

Lucy turned to Wyatt again and continued. "I like that my choices are my own and this life gave me that," she told him.

"And being a professor wouldn't have?" He asked with a furrowed brow.

"No," she answered. "That life was already mapped out for me. It didn't matter what I wanted."

He remembered her tone from earlier when she'd mentioned her mother. He'd sensed there was more to it then and he felt like now he had his answer. Her mother had been the one to map out Lucy's life and expect her to go along with it. But Lucy didn't do as she was told. Wyatt could understand that. He could respect that. Hell, he'd _done_ that.

"So," Wyatt said sensing that a subject change was necessary. "You followed every rule in high school but according to your band, you _have_ caused some trouble."

He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Stop smirking like you won or something," Lucy said with a chuckle. "I dropped out of college to join the band and when I did Celia claimed me as her project. She said I was repressed and needed to blow off steam. So, we did. But Cely was always the real troublemaker. I was just the accomplice. I'm _still_ too safe for her liking."

"And I take it, whoever this Noah is, is more safe and reserved than even you?" Wyatt asked with a knowing grin.

"Boring, the word you meant to use was boring," Garth said without looking over at them. He simply kept eating as if he hadn't said anything at all.

Lucy huffed and shook her head. "I don't really want to talk about Noah, right now, thank you."

Her jaw was tense and her hands had fisted around her silverware. She was definitely angry at this Noah guy. He wondered what could have happened to get her this worked up.

"Uh oh," he said before giving in to his curiosity. "Trouble in paradise?"

Wyatt noticed her bandmates all collectively looked down at their plates which was a sure sign that whatever answer she was about to give was very upsetting for her. Damn, what the hell had this guy done? And why would he do it to Lucy? Lucy was beautiful and easy to talk to and funny and in just their short conversation she'd shown him more care and concern than he'd rightfully deserved. Who would be stupid enough to hurt her?

"We had a fight," she answered simply.

"What? That's it?" He asked. "That's all you're going to tell me?"

"Well," she said in a reluctant tone as she bit her bottom lip. "The rest of it is more complicated and you might find it a bit silly."

He doubted that, but he humored her by saying, "Try me."

"My mother and I do not speak," Lucy told him with a sigh. "We haven't spoken since I dropped out of college. Noah knew this. He knew why too. He knew that my mother keeps hoping I'll go back to school, that she laments my 'potential', or that she sends me passive aggressive messages through my baby sister. He knew other things too that were much worse. And yet he never told me that he and my mother are well acquainted. Nor that my mother sent him to my gig the night we met to look for me. My mother, who is not presently in my life, still managed to control something. He had to know that would upset me and yet he kept it to himself. The only reason I found out was because my sister overheard them talking on the phone."

He had confirmation of his suspicions now. She'd grown up with a controlling mother, and it seemed to him like her mother hadn't given up.

"So," Lucy continued. "He didn't really lie. He just didn't tell me and it's not exactly like I asked, is it?"

He quirked a brow at her with a surprised glance. Surely she was too smart to buy that. Had this guy really given her that old line? Wyatt couldn't help it. He let out a bitter chuckle. "Did he tell you that? Was that his defense?"

She gave Wyatt a guilty look and moved the salad around on her plate, but didn't speak. He had his answer.

"A lie by omission is still a lie, ma'am. He should have told you. He knows he should have told you and, honestly, the fact that he didn't is highly suspicious. He's saying those things to you to minimize what happened and make you think the whole situation is your fault. It's not your fault. It's his. He's trying to manipulate you," Wyatt said with a scoff and a shake of his head. He was afraid he'd been too blunt, but she needed to know. She needed to know that this asshat wasn't treating her right. That this Noah douchebag, and Wyatt was certain that he was a douchebag, wasn't worth her time.

She sighed and slumped in her chair. "I know," she admitted. "I don't even know why I'm still dating him. I don't actually like him. I mean I like him, or I did before he lied to me, but I don't _like_ him. There's just no, I don't know, connection, I guess. But he seemed so great and I felt like I should at least give him a chance, you know?"

Wyatt nodded but chose not to say what he was thinking. Anything that seems too perfect, probably is.

"Thank you, Wyatt," Lucy said with a smile sad smile.

"For what?" He asked.

"For telling me the truth."

"Anytime," he said as he gave her an encouraging smile. "About this Nick guy-"

"Noah."

"Whatever," Wyatt said with a shake of his head. Wyatt knew that wasn't his name. He didn't care. "He seems like an idiot anyway if he'd risk hurting you. You don't deserve that."

"How do you know?" Lucy asked him with a soft grin. "You just met me."

"I know enough," he answered. "I know enough to know that you're kind and passionate and you deserve to be with someone you can trust and who treats you like an equal."

Lucy blushed bashfully and looked away from him. "Thanks."

"No need for a thank you," he told her. "Just stating the facts."


	3. The Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as usual, with my stories this is becoming a lot longer than I intended, lol. My first "big event" in the plot was supposed to take two chapters of set up, meaning it would happen at the end of chapter two. But I just finished chapter four and that big event hasn't happened yet lol. Lucy and Wyatt are wanting to talk more than I originally planned LOL. I say this to tell you that I am now unsure how many chapters this story will be. But more than five is highly likely.
> 
> Happy reading!

Wyatt was starting to realize that the drawback to being the wedding singer's unofficial date was that there was no opportunity for a dance. Which meant no, however lame, excuse to touch her. He wasn't even sure why he wanted to touch her, but there it was. The urge to take her hand or tuck a strand of hair behind her ear or just place a hand on her back was so strong that it startled him. The first time he'd felt it, he'd forced himself to fist his hand at his side instead.

What the hell was it about Lucy that caused this reaction in him? The more he talked to her the stronger the feeling became. Especially after getting the story on the guy Celia had mentioned earlier. Celia was right. Lucy deserved more. He knew that and he barely knew her. How did Lucy not see that?

The band finished their last set of the night and then a DJ took over, and it suddenly occurred to Wyatt that he might have a chance for that dance after all. He'd never really enjoyed dancing but if it meant being close to Lucy and essentially alone then he'd be up for it. He wasn't kidding when he'd referred to her as addictive.

Lucy collapsed into her seat next to him and then slid her heels off of her feet.

"Now I can have some fun," she told him with a grin. "Starting with the open bar."

She stood and then motioned for him to follow and, really, there was no way he could refuse. She got a white wine and he got a beer and they stood next to the dance floor while they drank.

"So," Lucy said with a small smile. "I feel like all I've done is talk about myself."

He chuckled at her. "Not your fault. You were answering my questions."

"Well, now I have some questions of my own," She told him.

"Okay," he said with a nod. "Lay 'em on me."

"Where are you from? I can tell by the accent you didn't grow up here," She asked.

"I'm from a tiny town in Texas you've never heard of," he told her with an easy smile. "Got out of there pretty quick, though. Only been back a handful of times since."

"No family back in Texas?" She asked.

"Not anymore, no," he answered. "It was just me and my Grandpa Sherwin for a while and then he passed so no real reason to go back." Certainly not for his asshole of a father, the only family he had left in that town.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Lucy said as she reached out and gave his arm a comforting squeeze.

He smiled warmly at the memories of his grandfather and shook his head. "It wasn't sudden and he lived a long remarkable life so I'm okay. But I do miss him." In this moment in particular because he'd like to get his thoughts on what he was feeling for Lucy. No doubt Grandpa Sherwin would have an answer.

"You were close?" Lucy asked with a soft smile.

He nodded. "My father was...well a real bastard, but Grandpa Sherwin picked up the slack. He raised me. He's the reason I do what I do. He was a World War II vet."

"Wow, impressive. Well, I bet you're a lot like him," Lucy told him with an affectionate glance.

"I hope so," Wyatt replied. But he doubted it. He finished the last of his beer and noticed her wine glass was empty. He took it from her and handed her glass and his bottle to the nearest server. With their hands free and the song changing to a slow song, now was his moment. "You up for a dance?" He asked.

"Really? You didn't strike me as the dancing type," Lucy asked with a teasing smirk.

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises, _ma'am_ ," he replied as he put the emphasis on the way he addressed her.

"You're doing it on purpose now," she said with a laugh and a shake of her head.

"Maybe," he admitted with a crooked smirk. "So dance?" He asked as he held a hand out toward her. He was nervous but he thought he was hiding it pretty well. The smirk was good for that, he'd learned.

"Absolutely," Lucy said with a nod as she placed her hand in his. She sucked in a sharp breath and he pretended not to notice.

He knew why. He couldn't have imagined the small spark and nor could he have predicted how perfectly her hand fit in his. It was unexpected and surprising, even knowing how attractive she was to him.

He led her out to the dance floor and one of her arms went around his neck, one of his went around her waist. Their joined hands were situated in between them, and they swayed in time with the music. Lucy adjusted her arm that had been around his neck lower so that her hand rested on his shoulder and her arm rested against his. They were pressed against each other and Wyatt felt electricity tingling everywhere they touched. God, he hadn't felt that in forever. How and why was she doing this to him? He didn't even know her last name for Christ's sake.

He should probably ask for that, and her number. Even if she was technically seeing some asshat guy named Noah. It's not like he felt this every day. He never let himself feel this but somehow Lucy didn't gave him the opportunity to say no. So, here he was feeling nervous and anxious because he was about to ask a woman for her phone number, which would hopefully lead to a date. He hadn't been on a date in years. Could he actually date again? He hated dating the first time around. He did not relish the idea of doing it again.

Except, it seemed, when it came to Lucy.

"You know," Lucy said suddenly as she met his eyes. "I don't even know your last name."

He quirked a brow at her and wondered if she knew what he'd been thinking. Had she been thinking it too?

"Logan," he replied. "Wyatt Logan."

She nodded and smiled thoughtfully at him. He could tell she was filing the information way. "Lucy Preston," she told him.

"Good to know," Wyatt told her with a grin. "So does Nick--"

"Noah," Lucy corrected him with an amused expression.

"Right. Does he like to dance?" Wyatt asked with a teasing smirk.

"He does actually," Lucy told him. "We took a swing dancing lesson on our first date. Which was brave of him because I'm a world class klutz. Course he was on call so we never really finished the lesson."

"On call?"

"He's a Doctor."

Of course he was. Wyatt could feel his chances diminishing by the minute. "Ah. Well, good for him."

Lucy gave him a suspicious glance when his hand stiffened in hers and grinned slowly. "Are you jealous?"

"I don't have a right to be," Wyatt said with feigned carelessness. He was definitely jealous but she didn't need to know that. He barely knew her. He still couldn't figure out why he cared so much about her so quickly.

"Look, I don't know you that well and we just met, but," she paused and chewed her lip as she decided how to phrase her next statement. "Noah has never been as _interesting_ to me as I think you are."

Okay, maybe he did have a shot. He gave her a crooked smile in response. "Interesting?" He wasn't quite sure what she meant by that but it sounded positive.

"I've always thought chemistry and 'the spark' was just some line romance novelists used to appeal to the hopeless romantics, and while I enjoy romance I've never been _hopeless_ about it so I've never expected to feel something like that," she admitted as her gaze fell to their joined hands. "But...right now with you, I don't know, the idea of a 'spark' doesn't seem so crazy anymore. And I don't even know you."

"Oh, the spark is real," he told her. "I've felt it once before but back then I didn't have the good sense to be careful with it," he admitted as he avoided her gaze. "But now I do. I know how rare it is to find that. Not gonna lie," he said as he finally dared to meet her warm brown eyes with his nervous blue ones. "I probably find you much more _interesting_ than you find me."

"I don't know about that," she said with a light blush.

"Lucy Preston, is that you?"

Lucy froze in his arms and grimaced.

There was a man, not much older than either of them with short hair and a receding hairline, looking over at them from where he was dancing with his partner.

"Luke," Lucy said with a nod and a forced smile. "Hi."

"God, I haven't seen you since college. You were up there singing, weren't you?" He asked.

Wyatt let out an annoyed sigh. Couldn't this guy talk to his own dance partner? Also, who was this guy? Lucy didn't seem happy to see him, but she didn't seem upset either. Just tense and uncomfortable.

"I was, yeah," she said with a small smile.

"I bet Carol loves that, huh?" Luke asked with a grin. "I'm gonna love telling her about this on Monday."

Lucy tensed and her eyes widened. Wyatt saw panic flash across them before she chuckled and forced her smile to widen. "About that, could you maybe not mention it to my mother?"

The Carol this guy talked about was Lucy's mother? The mention of her mother explained why she seemed so stiff. Luke apparently worked with her. Still, Lucy's reaction was interesting. What was such a secret that her mother couldn't know? Was it the singing she was afraid of or Luke seeing her dancing with someone who wasn't Noah? Both, possibly?

Luke quirked a brow at her but nodded in understanding. "Sure thing. Sore subject, huh?"

"For her, yeah," Lucy answered. "It was good to see you, though, Luke."

Lucy dropped her arm from his shoulder and used Wyatt's hand that she held in hers to pull them off the dance floor. She turned to say something, to explain he suspected, but they were interrupted yet again. This time by someone excitedly yelling her name.

Lucy relaxed and smiled brightly. Whoever called out to her was more than welcome to intrude unlike Luke's previous interruption. She let go of his hand as a younger dark haired woman suddenly hugged her tightly.

"Jiya?" Lucy asked as the hug ended. "You didn't tell me you'd be here."

"It was last minute. You know, that guy from work I told you about?" Jiya said as her eyes finally spotted Wyatt. She gave him a quick wary once over and then put her focus back on Lucy. "He got invited and he asked me as his plus one."

"Wait, he knows Dave?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, yeah, they're buds," Jiya said with a grin. "He and the historian we work with were the only ones to be invited from the office."

"Historian...do you mean Luke?" Lucy asked as recognition flashed across her face.

"Yeah, you know him?"

"We went to school together and he works with my mom," Lucy said with a shrug.

Bam-Bam was working with a historian? For the life of him Wyatt couldn't think of any kind of mission that would require a historian.

"So, where's this guy from work? I want to meet him," Lucy asked with a warm smile.

"Only if I can meet broody blue eyes first," Jiya said as she pointed at Wyatt.

Broody blue eyes? Was that what he looked like to strangers? Broody? He blinked for a moment and then grinned. Okay, that was kind of accurate. He did have a tendency to brood.

"Oh, right," Lucy said as she turned a surprisingly soft smile on him. He'd be lying if he said it didn't have an effect on him. "This is Wyatt Logan. He's one of Dave's Delta Force guys."

Wyatt reached out and shook Jiya's hand. "Ma'am."

"That's a Delta Force thing, isn't it?" Jiya asked. "Bam-Bam does that too."

Wyatt chuckled and nodded. "In special forces—"

"They teach them to be polite. He's been through this with me already," Lucy finished for him with a teasing roll of her eyes. "And Wyatt, this is my roomie Jiya Marri."

"The Star Trek fan," Wyatt said with a nod.

Jiya chuckled. "Yep, that's me. My claim to fame, apparently."

"So, you're Lucy's roommate and you work with Bam-Bam?" Wyatt asked. "That's a coincidence."

"Not really. Cely and Dave set it up when they asked me to move out," Lucy said with a chuckle. "Their way of softening the blow. Okay, you've met Wyatt," Lucy told Jiya. "Now where's this Rufus guy? Did he actually ask you in person or message you?"

"In person," Jiya said with a slight blush. "We had a crazy work week and things...escalated."

Lucy's eyes and smile widened with eager curiosity. "Escalated, huh?"

"Yep," Jiya answered with a smirk. "Oh, here he comes."

"I hate weddings," Rufus told Jiya as he caught up to her. "I've told you this, right?"

Jiya rolled her eyes playfully. "Yes, at least five times since we parked the car."

"I know like three people here and I'm really not good with meeting new people so the only purpose this wedding can serve is to force me humiliate myself in front of an entirely different group of people than normal. So, yeah, if Dave wasn't such a good guy, I could live without this whole wedding experience," Rufus rambled. He didn't see Wyatt or Lucy standing beside Jiya. His eyes were entirely focused on her.

Jiya cleared her throat and then smiled at him apologetically. "Hey, so, about the meeting new people thing." She pointed to Lucy and then Wyatt. "This is my roommate, Lucy, and Dave's friend Wyatt. He's Delta Force, too."

Rufus closed his eyes and winced. "So, I just anti-wedding ranted in front of two strangers?"

"If it helps, I thought it was kind of adorable," Jiya told him with a chuckle.

Based on the silly little grin he gave her, Lucy and Wyatt could tell that it did actually help.

Rufus held his hand out toward Lucy first and shook her hand. "Nice to finally meet you. Jiya's told me a lot about you."

"I've heard a lot about you, too," Lucy said as she and Jiya exchanged a secretive smile.

"Uh oh," Rufus said self consciously. "I do not like the sound of that."

"Trust me," Lucy told him as she patted his arm in a comforting gesture. "It's all good things."

Rufus then shook Wyatt's hand. "I've heard about you too, Wyatt," Rufus told him. "Bam-Bam really respects you."

Wyatt smiled softly and nodded. He was touched his name came up with Bam-Bam's new team. "That means a lot coming from him. He's a good teammate."

"Don't I know it," Rufus said with troubled eyes and heavy sigh. Wyatt knew that look. He'd seen it on his own face more than once. What was Bam-Bam doing with this team? Rufus worked for Mason, Wyatt was certain. He didn't carry himself like a soldier so Wyatt assumed he was more technologically inclined. If that was the case, what had Rufus seen to put such a traumatized expression on his face?

Whatever it was had to be TARFU. It was a rag-tag team. A soldier, a historian, and then a-what-engineer? Programmer? Scientist? A small three man team with one trained soldier often meant something covert. It would also explain why Bam-Bam was constantly on call these days. Wyatt wasn't going to ask questions. He was curious but he also knew from experience that the more covert something was the less he wanted to know about it. Sometimes, ignorance really was bliss.

"Oh!" Jiya said suddenly as the music changed to an upbeat pop song. "I love this song."

Rufus gave her a sidelong glance before grinning slightly. "I have a bad feeling about this. You're going to ask me to dance aren't you?"

"You could use a good dance," Jiya said with a wink.

"You just paraphrased Han Solo," Rufus said with an awed and joyful expression.

"I know," she said with a laugh. "Come on, Fly Boy, dance with me."

She didn't give him the chance to say no. She grabbed his hand, waved goodbye to Wyatt and Lucy, and then whisked Rufus away into the crowd on the dance floor.

"So," Wyatt said with a grin. "That was your roommate?"

Lucy chuckled and nodded. "It's still new but I've really enjoyed getting to know her. She's a very good listener and scary perceptive. Dave and Celia were smart to introduce us."

"Yeah, they seem to pretty good at this matchmaking thing," Wyatt said as he turned a crooked flirtatious smirk on her.

Lucy blushed and chuckled. "Let's not tell them that. I'll have to listen to Celia bragging about it every day of my life."

Between, Luke and Jiya, it was clear Wyatt wasn't going to get a lot of alone time with Lucy here at the wedding. Not as much as he'd like anyway. He wanted to know as much as he could about her, which was a strange feeling for him. It was so rare that he knew he couldn't let the wedding reception be the end of it. He decided to take a chance.

"Hey, listen," he said softly as he caught her gaze. "Once all the mandatory wedding stuff, the cake is cut and the bouquet is caught, is over with would you be interested in a getting a drink somewhere?" He paused and swallowed thickly. It had been a long time since he'd asked a woman out, clearly. He ducked his head bashfully before meeting her eyes again and continuing. "You know, with me?"

The corners of her mouth turned upward in amusement, before her warm brown eyes sparkled and she nodded her head. "I would love to get a drink somewhere." She paused and grinned teasingly at him. "You know, with you."

He laughed lightly at her and himself before breathing a small sigh of relief. "Good. That's good. I think I know the perfect place."

"Looking forward to it," Lucy told him with a warm smile.


	4. Drinks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am having a ton of fun with this story. The last 3 chapters have been fun but this one is one of my favorites. (the next one is pretty great too, though.) We're getting to the good stuff now. Hopefully, you guys like it! I'd love to hear your thoughts!  
> Happy Reading!  
> angellwings

What exactly was she doing? Lucy asked herself as she bid goodbye to Dave and Celia and left to wait outside for Wyatt. She had a boyfriend. Yes, she was pissed at him. Yes, he'd lied to her. No, he hadn't really apologized. But despite the lies, he was a nice guy and a successful guy. He typically treated her very well, except for the lie about her mother. Did one sin mean giving up? And if that's what she was doing, should she end it first? Was it wrong to go out for a drink with Wyatt while still technically attached to Noah?

Not only that but what was her motivation here? Was she really interested in Wyatt or was she using him to get back at Noah? As soon as she asked herself the question she laughed. No, it wasn't revenge. She didn't like Noah enough for revenge.

Was Noah being a decent and stable guy enough of a reason to keep dating him? On paper he seemed like a solid choice for a boyfriend. Reliable, successful, kind, and even funny in that dry witty way. He could actually carry on a conversation and their relationship wasn't just about sex. Though, to be honest, her lack of connection to him meant the sex really wasn't that great. It was just...fine. But okay sex was better than none at all, especially okay sex with a guy who would still be there in the morning.

Noah was safe. Or she thought he was until he lied to her about her mother for reasons she couldn't comprehend. Even if he couldn't tell her that first night, it had been weeks since then. Surely, he could have told her at some point over the course of their short relationship. Now, she had doubts. Did it mean he wasn't who she thought he was? Did it mean he wasn't decent and stable? It made her head hurt thinking about it. So she didn't. Instead she turned her thoughts to the new mystery in her life.

Wyatt Logan.

He was smart, a quick thinker. Honest to a fault. He barely knew her and yet he seemed to genuinely care. He was damn attractive with blue eyes that seemed to see right through her. He actually listened when she talked and, just as important, he talked back. He'd answered her personal questions and, while he was very guarded, he'd let himself have a few vulnerable moments with her. He was willing to open up even if he wasn't completely able to quite yet.

There was also the fact that she felt some sort of mysterious pull toward him. From that first moment she'd noticed him during the band's soundcheck. He'd sat down at the table and she couldn't help but stare. He was attractive, but there was something else she couldn't name that drew her attention. Then Garth had noticed and teased her about it, she'd responded with a laugh and got back to work. The next time she looked up he was exiting the tent. Once the soundcheck ended she had no choice but follow him.

She thought he was attractive from her stage view but sitting next to him on the grass and being met with those blue eyes exceeded her definition of "attractive" in an unexplainable way. He'd sucked her in and she'd been flirting before she even realized it.

Was it wrong to let this play out with him? Was it fair to him? She didn't know much about his romantic past but he'd alluded to having something very special with someone once. Plus, she'd noticed how haunted he'd looked before she'd first spoken with him earlier in the day. Someone had left him scarred. Was exploring her options worth the risk that she might hurt him?

She huffed and shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. So far all they'd done was flirt and dance and talk and drink. It was harmless. Why her mind was jumping from that to the possibility she might break this soldier's heart was baffling to her. She didn't even know if this would lead anywhere. There was no sense in stressing herself out about something that may never happen.

But still, she couldn't explain why, something about Wyatt Logan felt inevitable. Like if she left with him now then everything would change. You could call it kismet or fate or a fixed point in time or whatever the hell else people want to call it, but whatever it was it felt important. It felt like maybe the pieces of her life had been coming together to lead to this moment. Did that sound insane? Yes, it did. Did it scare the shit out of her? Yes it did.

She was just about to slip away and chicken out of this drink she'd agreed to when she spotted Wyatt walking toward her. He noticed her and smirked, a crooked half smirk that was really starting to become a weakness for her, and that was it. That was apparently all it took for her fears and doubts to evaporate. She was once again caught up in him and her overwhelming curiosity as to why he affected her the way he did. There was also the strange sense of safety and comfort seeing him brought her. She didn't even know him. Not really. How was he doing this? Why was he doing this? What the hell was she getting herself into?

Because she _was_ getting herself into this. There was no way she was turning back now. Not now that he was walking toward her with his blue eyes completely focused on her less captivating brown ones. God, what must it be like to have eyes like those? Did everyone he meet get caught up in them? How could you not?

Shit, she thought as she took a deep steadying breath, what was she doing? Was it worth the risk? Her mind flashed briefly to the suffocating feeling of water rushing in her car windows and the seat belt that just wouldn't unlatch and the visions of everything she hadn't done yet swimming around her. She'd promised herself then to not be afraid of risks. To live her life on her terms. To not let the fear of disappointing someone else hold her back. To never play it safe just because it was easy.

She wasn't going back on that promise now. Take the risk, she told herself. Make the choice. Get the answers to all of her questions regarding Wyatt Logan and his sudden appearance in her life.

He was in front of her then with an easy smile and an outstretched hand.

"Ready?" He asked.

God, she hoped so.

"Yes," she said as she placed her hand in his. She didn't gasp this time but she still felt it, the electricity. It was still there, tingling between their palms. He fiddled with his keys in his other hand as they walked. She'd left her car keys with Sherri, who'd agreed to drive her car back to Jiya's place for her. Sherri had given her a knowing smirk but had, mercifully, chosen not to comment.

Wyatt opened the passenger side door of his jeep for her but then remained standing there even after she sat down. He leaned against the side of the car, between the car and the open door, and met her eyes with a nervous smile.

"Look, I know you're still seeing this Dr. Nick-"

"Noah," she correct him with a grin. He rolled his eyes and shrugged in response. She chuckled and shook her head at him. He was getting Noah's name wrong on purpose, she knew it. He had a negative impression of Noah, that was her fault. She almost felt bad about that. _Almost_.

"I know you're still seeing him," Wyatt continued. "But, honestly, I'm not sure I care."

Her eyebrows rose in a questioning glance but before she could ask him to explain he continued.

"We just met and I only know a few things about you at this point, but I know myself and I know that there's a connection here that doesn't happen every day. So, while I'm not normally the guy who goes after the girl with the boyfriend, I'm not passing this up."

She wasn't sure why he was explaining this to her. He certainly didn't need to. She never once had the impression that he regularly pursued women in relationships. The question must have shown in her eyes because his nerves gave way to a confident grin.

"Just wanted you to know because, well...," he sentence trailed off but his eyes stayed trained on hers. "I'm not in this for the thrill or the risk." His nervousness from earlier was all but gone now as he spoke again. "I'm in it to win it."

His grin turned crooked and almost impish as he shut the door in the face of her slightly stunned expression. What did that mean? He was in it to win it? To win her? To beat Noah? Both? Her cheeks were heated and she knew she was blushing. When was the last time someone just told her their intentions point blank? _Never_. That had never happened. Why was that so goddamn attractive?

God, she was in trouble. _Wyatt Logan_ was trouble.

It had been a long time since she'd had any trouble. Maybe that was just what she needed, she thought as Wyatt stepped into the driver's side and started the car. Maybe _he_ would be what she needed.

She inwardly cursed herself. She was getting ahead of herself again.

Live in the moment, Preston. Just be. Don't think.

 _Don't think_.

The drive to the bar was so familiar to her. She knew the neighborhood well as it was home to her current apartment. The bar he parked outside of was one she passed every day but had never been inside of and, she wasn't sure what to make of this fact yet, was one block over from her and Jiya's apartment. That was a bit convenient. Or had the potential to be.

 _Don't think_.

She started to open her door but Wyatt shook his head at her and chuckled.

"I don't think so," he told her with a grin. "I'm trained to be polite, remember?"

She quirked a brow at him and laughed. "You can't be serious? I can open a car door."

"It's not a question of can. I have no doubt that you are very capable of a great number of things," he said with a smirk. "It's a question of manners. You don't want me disappointing my Grandpa Sherwin, do you?"

She laughed again and shook her head. "Oh no, we can't have that." She removed her hand from the door handle and placed it back in her lap. "Fine, go ahead, soldier. I'll wait."

A moment later the door opened and Wyatt held out a hand to help her out of the car with wink and half of a smirk. "Ma'am," he said with a nod. She imagined that if this were a western he would have tipped his hat and the image made her giggle as he accepted his hand and stepped out of the jeep.

He released her hand as they walked and she almost said something but then she felt that same hand on the small of her back, protectively guiding her into the bar, and she decided she liked that just as much.

Noah had not opened her door for her, probably because she beat him to it, but he'd never insisted. He always held her hand as they walked into rooms and walked in front of her. She didn't realize till now that he did that or that it bothered her. It felt as though he were dragging her behind him, as though he were trying to tell the room who was in charge.

Huh. Was that what he was doing? Or was she giving it that meaning now that she was pissed at him?

Wyatt's hand on her back felt different than that. It felt warm and safe and as if his main concern was her comfort. Was it possible for a small gesture to have that much meaning?

They sat down across from each other and as they did Lucy finally took a look around the bar. It was a nice place, but not too nice. There were bottles lined up on a mirrored rack over the bar and sleek modern barstools. The booths were older and very sturdy. It was a combination of classic and new that she liked very much.

Their server came by and got their drink orders and then they were alone again.

"So, can I ask," Wyatt said hesitantly. He paused and then started again. "Can I ask what happened with your mother? You don't have to answer but it's just with what happened with...your boyfriend," he stumbled briefly over those two words before he continued. "And then with that guy Luke at the wedding, I'm curious."

Of course he would be, she thought. She would have been too. She nodded and then gave him a long thoughtful glance. She'd left some things out of her explanation earlier. Did she trust him enough to tell him? She thought about his "in it to win it" speech and realized she did. She did trust him. She'd just met him but for some reason she trusted him.

"I grew up idolizing my mother," Lucy told him after a moment of silence. He must have thought she didn't want to talk about it because he looked surprised when she spoke. "The way she talked about history was enthralling. She gave me all of these books about historical figures that were written for kids and I devoured them all. I wanted to be like her. She would talk about this plan she had. That I'd go to all the best schools, earn all these degrees, and take over her department at Stanford. The department she basically built from the ground up. As a little kid, all I wanted was to make her proud. I wanted what she wanted because every time I did something she wanted and did it well she acted like I was the most amazing daughter in the world. I loved having that attention from her."

She paused for a moment and smiled wistfully. Things were so simple as a child. Your world was so small. Sometimes she missed that. Wyatt didn't respond but he gave her an encouraging glance to let her know that he was listening. He understood.

"But then I got a little older. I had friends with different interests from mine. I started taking piano lessons and exploring music. I started liking boys. History was still interesting but I wanted other things too. Each time my mother acted like my varied interests were a betrayal or a disappointment. Every grade that wasn't beyond stellar resulted in some form of punishment. I got a B minus on an Earth Science test in ninth grade once and she grounded me for two weeks. I couldn't take her looking at me like I was failing her so I just let what I wanted go. For the sake of peace and for the sake of seeing my mother smile at me like she used to when I was little. I followed her plan, step by step. I got into the undergrad program at Stanford, early admission. That was probably the proudest day of my mother's life, I think. Course I had no friends, no social life, but I thought that could come later. I thought college would be different. Besides, I had Amy, my sister, she's the best friend any girl could have so that made it okay," Lucy told him. She flashed him a small smile at the mention of her little sister. Aside from Celia, Amy was everything to Lucy. Her cheering section, her unconditional support. Everything.

"But college wasn't different, was it?" Wyatt asked knowingly.

Lucy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "No, college was worse. I thought I'd get a little separation from her. But she'd opted me out of the dorms since I was local, which meant I was still under her watchful eye. This time at home and on campus. I blew up at her about it one time. About how it wasn't fair that she expected me to live like a nun for the sake of my education. She laughed and called me dramatic. After that she started setting me up on blind dates with students she knew. Ones she deemed 'appropriate'. I guess she thought playing matchmaker would allow me to get 'having a life' out of my system or something. So, with help from Amy, I started resorting to subterfuge."

Wyatt grinned at her. "Subterfuge? Let me guess, you snuck out your window at night in a miniskirt and high heels?"

She quirked a brow at him and smiled. "No, Wyatt Logan, you never climb down a trellis in high heels. You wear sneakers and then put the heels in your purse."

He laughed and nodded. "Good to know."

"That's how I met Celia, by the way, she was a waitress at the bar I snuck out to all the time for open mic nights," Lucy told him. "After a week or so she asked me to audition for her band. They were looking for a new lead singer."

"And you got the gig," Wyatt said with a smile and a nod.

"I did and the subterfuge continued until Celia accepted a gig at a club close to campus and word got around to my mother," Lucy said with a sigh and a shake of her head. "She said it was the band or being a part of the family. I had to choose. School or music. That was our biggest fight. We screamed at each other all night long. I was tired of her plan, of everything. I wasn't her daughter, I was an extension of herself. Her legacy. My happiness didn't matter to her, just her stupid plan. It was exhausting carrying all of that on my shoulders and then not being able to blow off any steam. I had to live with that pressure all day every day. I hated it. I left and headed out to find Celia to talk. We talked until the early hours of the morning. I had tentatively decided to choose music. I was terrified and wavering and honestly I was afraid I'd cave the minute I saw my mother again," Lucy admitted. "But I had to tell her. I had to tell her right then. So I drove back home."

She swallowed thickly and closed her eyes. She hated talking about this next part. She absolutely hated it. But without it she wouldn't be where she was now. She wouldn't be be _who_ she was now. Wyatt must have sensed her conflict because she felt his hand reach for hers and hold it tightly. He squeezed her hand to reassure her.

"Lucy, you don't have to keep going," Wyatt said softly. "Really, you can tell me whatever you want when you want. It doesn't have to be now."

He sounded so calm and so patient. Support and worry dripped over every word. That only made her want to tell him more.

"No, it's okay," she said as she opened her eyes and smiled weakly at him. "I want you to know."

He nodded but didn't let go of her hand.

"There was an oil slick, I didn't see it. Next thing I knew my car was sinking. Water was rushing in and my seatbelt wouldn't unfasten. I was certain I was going to drown. I was going to die. All I kept thinking while the water was filling up my car was that I hadn't actually done any living. I spent my life going through the motions, playing it safe. Being who someone else told me to be. There were things I wanted for myself. Dreams of my own. I'd always dismissed them as fantasies and caved to my mother's plans for me. I was going to die before I'd even had a chance to live," she said with a gulp and calming breath. She still had nightmares about that car sometimes. She was definitely claustrophobic. But she wasn't afraid of life anymore. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself.

"What happened?" Wyatt asked when she didn't continue.

"A good Samaritan," she told him. "They saw my car in the water and dragged me out. They saved my life. After that, any chance of going back to school, back to my mother, was gone. I couldn't stand the idea of never really living my own life. I wouldn't die with regrets. The paramedics called her and she showed up at the scene. I told her right away what my decision was. Do you know what she did?" Lucy asked as her eyes hardened and her smile turned bitter. "She left. She left me in the back of the ambulance with a blanket over my shoulders and one final lecture about what a waste I was. They took me to the hospital to have me checked out and the hospital called Celia to come and pick me up. I haven't spoken to my mother since."

Wyatt was silent for a long moment and she finally dared to look him in the eyes. He looked shocked, dismayed, angry. It was every emotion she worked through after her mother had suddenly disappeared from her life. She could relate.

"I am so sorry, Lucy," Wyatt said with a shake of his head. "I can't imagine...she really just stopped talking to you after you almost died in that accident?"

"She sends me a passive aggressive birthday card every year. She always includes an application to Stanford in the card with information on how she can still get me discounted tuition. Other than that, we don't speak," Lucy told him with a sad smile. "It is what it is. I've accepted it and honestly I'm probably better off. If she can only love the version of me that she wants me to be then does she really love me at all?"

"What about your dad?" Wyatt asked with a furrowed brow.

"He died when I was in high school," Lucy answered with a thick gulp. "He's the one who got me started with piano lessons," she gave Wyatt a small smile and blinked back tears that were threatening to fall. Not now. She'd dealt with all of this already. She wasn't going to cry. "I miss him every day. Thankfully, I still have my baby sister and I have the band. They're all the family I really need."

"Still," Wyatt said as he squeezed her hand again. "I know what it feels like to have a parent who should love you treat you like shit. It's not easy to get over. No one should have to go through that."

His dad, she guessed. He'd mentioned him earlier. "Thank you," she said quietly. God this was turning into a depressing date. "I'm sorry, I just brought down this whole evening-"

"No, don't apologize," Wyatt told her. "I'm grateful you trusted me enough to tell me. Really. And, given that information, I like Nick even less. If he knew that story then he should have come clean immediately. She hurt you, Lucy, and anyone who really cared about you would want to prevent that from happening again."

"It's Noah," she said again with a dry chuckle.

"Again, I don't care."

She laughed and took a sip of her wine. "Okay. Since we're sharing trauma," Lucy said with a sigh. "Anything you'd like to talk about?"

He searched her eyes for a long moment. She didn't know what he was looking for but he must have found it because she knew what he said next wasn't easy for him.

"I screwed up a marriage because I couldn't give up my career." He said it so plainly but she could see the pain flash across his blue eyes before he shrugged with feigned carelessness. "So, you know, there's that."

Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. "It takes two people to screw up a marriage, Wyatt."

He scoffed and shook his head. "You don't know Jessica. Before we got married she was the most patient and forgiving woman I ever met. She was so full of compassion and warmth. Being an army wife took a toll on her. So much of a toll that the only way she could be that person again was to get as far away from me as she could. I nearly ruined her because I refused to do something- _anything-_ else."

Lucy brought her other hand over to rest on top of their joined ones, which caused him to meet her eyes. "Wyatt, I just met you and I already know that what you do is a part of who you are. It was a part of who your grandfather was. He raised you to help others. I can see it. He raised you to serve and protect others. To ask you to do something else would be like asking you to give up everything you are. I'm sure Jessica is lovely, but that's not fair to you. I meant what I said, it takes two people to end a marriage. Sometimes, relationships just don't fit the way we want them to. It doesn't mean it has to be anyone's fault. I can understand your guilt, but from where I sit...she hurt you just as much as you hurt her."

She meant it. She meant all of that. Everything she'd seen from Wyatt tonight indicated he was caring and considerate. When he'd spoken about his grandfather she'd seen a warmth in his eyes that indicated a deep love and respect. It was a positive relationship that influenced the very fabric of who he was. He wasn't a soldier for selfish reasons, she was sure of that. He genuinely felt a duty to protect people. She'd marveled at Celia's ability to give up Dave to that life earlier today but after just one evening with Wyatt she understood a little better. When someone had the ability to care about others _that much_ you were lucky to know them, to be a part of their life, for any amount of time you could get.

She was lucky he was giving her tonight.

He must have expected a different reaction because he shook his head at her with a look of disbelief.

He seemed to think he was the villain in his marriage and, for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. Unless...

She remembered hearing her mother refer to her as a waste and she remembered how deeply she let that effect her confidence for a long time. Then she thought about Wyatt. She wondered how many fights he and Jessica had been through before it ended and what words had been tossed around carelessly during those fights.

God, did he really believe...

"I don't know who told you that you're a bad guy, Wyatt, or what they said to make you believe it, but they're wrong," Lucy told him. "You're not a bad guy. Far from it."

His blue eyes slammed into hers and he looked completely shocked. She worried she'd said something wrong. He downed the rest of his beer and then flagged their server down. He ordered two whiskies and then his eyes were back on hers. His gaze was intense and she was dying to know what he was thinking. Had she offended him? Had she assumed too much? Overstepped some invisible boundary?

She squirmed under his eyes as the server set down the whiskies. He pushed one toward Lucy and then downed his in one gulp. Her eyes widened but she took the hint and followed suit. It burned all the way down. She grimaced and fought back a cough. Damn, she really needed to get better at drinking the hard stuff.

He stood after setting the glass back down on the table and pulled her up from her side of the booth. Was this it? Was it just over? Had she said something so offensive that he couldn't be in her sight any longer?

As soon as she was on her feet, his hands went to her face and he cradled it gently between them. She gulped as his thumbs slid over her cheeks and his eyes came back to hers. The affection and relief they held surprised her, but not as much as what he did just a split second later.

His lips covered hers and she froze for a brief moment. No, she hadn't said anything wrong, she realized. Apparently, she'd said something _right_. Something very very right. Her arms went around his middle and she pulled herself closer to him as the kiss continued. Her lips parted and he took full advantage. It had been a long time since she'd been kissed like this. He was kissing her slowly as if he wanted to savor every taste and texture her mouth had to offer. She felt dizzy, but in the best way. God, kissing Noah had never once felt like this. She knew she'd just downed a glass of whisky but she was certain this heady intoxication she was feeling had nothing to do with that whisky neat she'd just consumed.

No, that was all Wyatt.

He really was in it to win it and so far, she had to admit, he was succeeding.


	5. Inevitable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guys, I'm about to get real with you all for a second. So, I have been writing fanfic since I was like 12 and I'm 30 now. That's like 18 years give or take. In all those 18 years, and especially the years since sex ed lol, I have never actually written full on smut. Usually I write everything but the actual sex and fade to black because I'm a big chicken who thinks I can't write it convincingly. Usually it's fine and not vital to the plot or vibe of the fic.  
> That was not the case with this story. It is absolutely necessary to propel these two alternate timeline versions of our pairing forward. (at least if I want this story's pace to move faster than the painfully slow trickle of molasses it is.) So I actually had to sit down and write smut. This is the first time I've done that. I'm telling you this for two reasons: 1) please be kind, this was new for me and 2) I am DAMN PROUD of myself for it. I branched out and pushed myself and I don't hate the result. so YAY.  
> Which means THIS STORY IS NOW RATED M due to sexual content. For those of you who pay attention to ratings these days that is LOL. I've noticed more and more people don't really look for ratings so much as warnings. But just in case, I'm giving you a heads up, Habit of You is now rated M.  
> Also, tonight is my last chance to update before I go out of town for a week's vacation on Saturday. I will not have my laptop so I will not be able to post chapters. Hopefully, the steamy nature of this chapter makes up for the lack of an update for the next week or so.  
> HAPPY READING!  
> angellwings  
> PS - I'M SO NERVOUS. PLEASE DON'T HATE THIS. xD

 

* * *

When reality sank back in and Lucy remembered where they were, she slowly pulled away from the kiss. She didn't pull out of his hold, though, and pressed her forehead to his.

"So, what did I say that caused _that_ reaction?" She asked him with a smirk.

He laughed and smiled at her. A real genuine smile. Not a smirk or a grin. A true smile. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of it. Oh god, was he ever dangerous to her self control.

"Just something I needed to hear," he told her as his thumbs continued to caress her cheeks.

"Well, if we're going to do more of this," she said as her eyes drifted down to his lips pointedly. "Then we should probably take this somewhere more private."

He quirked a brow at her. "Oh, we're doing more of this. Definitely more of this."

She chuckled and nodded. "I was hoping you'd say that, and coincidentally, you chose a bar one block over from my apartment."

"That's a very lucky coincidence," he said with an amused smirk.

She bit her bottom lip and grinned. "I thought so."

He backed slightly away and took one of his hands from her face to pull out this wallet and drop cash on the table. Once that was done he motioned to the door. "Lead the way, ma'am."

She blushed and bit back a chuckle. The more he called her "ma'am", the more she actually liked it. Not that she would tell him that. They made the silent mutual decision to leave his jeep in front of the bar and walk to her apartment.

They left the bar as they entered, with Wyatt's hand on the small of her back. After that kiss though, the energy was completely different between them. She noticed Wyatt kept his distance and she wondered why. His eyes kept drifting to her but his hands were in his pockets and the only time they touched was when their arms accidentally brushed as they walked. They reached her building and Lucy used her key to get in the security door and then led Wyatt to the stairs.

"You okay?" She finally asked as they climbed the stairs.

He chuckled and nodded. "Just trying to keep my hands to myself," he answered honestly. "The next time I touch you, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop."

Every time she thought she knew what to expect, he surprised her with his honesty. "Oh," she said with a bashful smile. "Right."

"Not what you expected me to say?" He asked with a teasing grin.

"You keep doing that," Lucy told him with a light laugh. "Saying something I don't see coming."

"Your Dr. Nick," he paused and expected her to correct him but grinned wider when she didn't. She rolled her eyes at him as he continued. "He lied to you. He hurt you. I'm not going to do that and I'm trying to prove that to you early on. So, I figure clear and direct is the best way to do that. Am I wrong?"

She shook her head and smiled gratefully at him. "No, you're not wrong." Not wrong at all. God, he was really making Noah look like a jackass. Not that Noah hadn't already done that to himself.

Two sets of stairs later they were at her-well Jiya's-door. Lucy expected to feel nervous. She'd just met Wyatt and she was taking him home with her? Also, she still had a boyfriend. So, she was about to be one of those women. Those women who cheated on decent guys with other decent guys and ruined the decent ones for everyone else. But, she didn't feel guilty.. She felt excited, giddy. She was buzzing with barely contained energy. But nerves? Those were nowhere to be found.

Was that wrong? It was, wasn't it? She should be guilty and nervous.

So then why did everything with Wyatt feel so right?

She let him in the apartment. She'd texted Jiya on the way over and found out she was staying with Rufus tonight so they wouldn't have any company.

She hung up her sweater and her purse by the door and then slipped off her heels. She stopped in the kitchen doorway and turned to face him. "Do you want something?"

He smirked and gave her a lingering once over. "Is that a trick question?"

She grinned slowly and sinfully. "Wow, that was smooth."

"You walked right into it," he said with a chuckle. "And, no, I don't want anything _from the kitchen_. I'm good. Are you good?" He smirked again before he continued. "Still feeling that whisky?"

She was certain he was asking that because of how she must have looked while drinking it. She imagine a rubbery grimace must have been on her face. He'd leaned against the back of her couch while he waited for her answer and she crossed the room to lean next to him.

"I'm honestly not sure if what I felt was the alcohol or that kiss," she told him as she leaned closer to him. She expected her proximity to lead to another kiss but aside from leaning just slightly forward, he didn't move.

"It was probably the kiss," he replied with a confident grin. "That was a damn good kiss."

She nodded. "So, then why haven't we picked up where we left off yet?"

"I'm waiting on you," he told her. His eyes met hers and they looked open, honest, and vulnerable. "You have more at risk here than me. I'm giving you time to reconsider, if you decide the risk is too much."

"Oh my god," Lucy said with a grin. She was touched, shocked, and amused all at once. Would anything Wyatt Logan did ever allow her to feel only one emotion at a time? "How are you real? Are you kidding me?" He blushed slightly and ducked his head. Lucy put a hand under his chin and forced his eyes back to hers. "You remember when I told you about my accident? I told you I promised myself not to have any regrets. If you walked out that door right now, I'd regret it. So, you don't need to give me time. I'm not changing my mind."

That seemed to be all he needed to hear because in the next moment his hands were on her hips and he was pulling her against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She had one thought as he started to lean in and she pulled back just slightly. He gave her a concerned look that nearly killed her. Where the hell had he come from and why hadn't she met him sooner?

"I...just..." god spit it out. "I don't want you to think I do this all the time. The whole bring a stranger home thing."

He smirked and then chuckled softly.

"What?" She asked. "What's funny?"

"The fact that you think you needed to tell me that," he said with an amused grin.

"Hey! You know, it's not that I couldn't do it. I could be the type to have random hook ups," she told him with a playful glare.

He quirked a brow at her and continued to grin. She found herself both infuriated and turned on by it. That seemed oxy-moronic. But there it was.

"I'm sure you could do whatever you set your mind to, Lucy Preston," Wyatt said with an amused smirk as he brought one hand up to softly run a finger over her furrowed brow. Her playful glare immediately fell from her face at the gentle touch and then there they were again. Leaning toward each other as if they were always meant to.

The second kiss was different than the first. The first was slow and gentle. The second started that way but it didn't take long for raw need take over. She needed whatever this feeling was he was creating in her. She tried to live for herself and she tried not to have any regrets but she was never reckless. This felt reckless, but in the most rewarding way.

She was in a hazy cloud of tongues and teeth and adrenaline as she backed him around the couch. They wouldn't be able to do what she wanted to do and be standing much longer. She pushed him to sit on the couch and quickly joined him by straddling his lap with her knees on either side of him on the couch. The skirt of her dress bunched up around her knees and she gasped against his mouth as she realized what their position and her skirt meant. Her pelvis was lined up perfectly with his and hers was only covered in very thin nude colored underwear.

Wyatt's hands were currently in her hair. Tangling her waves around his fingers, but her gasp must have triggered something because the moment it left her mouth his hands drifted downward. First to her shoulders and then slowly and lightly they traveled down her arms before stopping briefly on her hips. Their final destination, as she found out, was the outside of her thighs. He pushed her skirt higher and softly caressed the length of her thighs.

A whimper escaped her throat and she couldn't believe it. She'd never whimpered in this sort of situation before. Not once.

His hands continued their work on her thighs and she couldn't help but rock herself against him. She was rewarded with a groan into her mouth that seemed to reverberate all the way through her. She could feel him against her now, straining through his black slacks. She continued to kiss him as she ground her pelvis against his again. She was loving the friction. It was too delicious.

His hands moved from her thighs to her rear and pulled her tighter against him. Which she wasn't entirely sure should have been possible. Her skin warmed the longer they kissed and moved against each other. They had a rhythm going and she really didn't want to break it but with the way his pants had tightened underneath her it seemed there were a few too many layers of clothing between them.

She pulled out of the kiss and then leaned toward his ear, trailing a few kisses along his jaw on the way. Once close she'd reached his ear, she whispered, "Unzip me."

He took in a sharp breath and moved his hands from her ass to her back. She moved to meet his gaze as his hands found the zipper and slowly slid it down her back. She felt the dress loosen around her and then held her hands up over her head, beckoning him to undress her further. He smirked, pulled the dress over her head, and then discarded it on the floor.

She suddenly wished she'd worn something more exciting then her plain beige strapless bra and matching lineless panties. But then she never would have guessed where this evening would end up so it couldn't be helped.

It hit her then, that just a few hours ago she didn't even know Wyatt Logan existed in the world and now she was completely wrapped up in him, literally. How had that happened?

No, it didn't matter because she was enjoying the feel of him too much to care. She stood from his lap and untangled herself from his arms. He blinked slowly at her as if he were trying to register her absence before she curled her finger at him and then nodded in the direction of her bedroom door.

When he stood, she stepped closer to him and reached in between them to unbuckle his belt. She slid it through the belt loops and dropped it on the floor next to her dress. She reached for the fly of his pants next and felt his eyes on her the entire time. She slowly undid them and then reached for the buttons on his shirt while he stepped out of them and kicked the pants aside, along with his shoes and socks.

She really should feel guilty about this. But she couldn't seem to muster up any guilt. Not a single bit. Especially not after she finished with the last of the buttons on his shirt and he promptly backed her into the nearest wall. She expected his lips on hers again but he had other ideas. His lips landed on the curve of her neck while his hands held her by the waist. He trailed kisses up her neck and along her jaw before finally covering her lips with his again. She pushed him back from the wall enough to move them toward her open bedroom door. She'd gotten up to relocate them and he'd distracted her. But now she was refocused.

She pulled him through the door and kicked it shut behind them without breaking the kiss. Once the door was closed she pushed his unbuttoned shirt down his arms and helped him slip it off. He was left in an undershirt and his boxers. Lucy gave him a once over and felt a thrill at the sight of his need for her. It tented his boxer shorts and caused an ache inside of her. She had her own need to feel all of him against her, inside of her.

He hastily removed his undershirt and then he was kissing her again. This kiss was rougher, more desperate, and passionate. She'd missed passion. She needed passion.

And Wyatt seemed more than willing to provide. Her hands landed on his bare chest and a whimper escaped her again. Self control was rapidly escaping her because her hands seemed to be acting of their own volition. Now that she had bare skin to touch they were everywhere. His warm callused hands drifted too. First to the back clasp on her bra, which he quickly undid and dropped on top of his dress shirt and undershirt. He kept one hand on her back while the other slid under the waistband of her underwear.

She pulled away from his intrusive kisses and sucked in a breath as his fingers found her already sensitive center. She gripped his shoulders arched against him as he massaged the bundle of nerves between her legs. She groaned and threw her head back, letting the sensations wash over her a long luxurious moment.

Wyatt placed gentle kisses along her neck and collar bone but didn't stop touching her.

Shit, she was going to lose it before they even made it to the bed.

Wyatt's kisses drifted up to the hinge of her jaw, just below her ear. She felt and heard his deep husky chuckle before he spoke. "Damn, you're already so wet, Lucy." She met his eyes and couldn't help but grin at the teasing gleam in his blue eyes. "You like me that much, huh?"

He was being much too smug for her liking. She rolled her eyes playfully and then slipped a hand into his boxers to grip the hardness that had been pressed against her for so long now. The smirk fell from his face as he buried his head in her neck and groaned.

"Kinda feels like the feelings mutual, Logan," Lucy said with a chuckle of her own.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand from his boxers before he finally met her eyes again. "You're playing with fire, ma'am, and you're gonna end this much too soon if you keep that up."

"Or," she said as her gaze turned challenging. "Not soon enough. You're killing me. You know that, don't you?"

He gave her that now famous crooked smile and backed her up toward the bed. "Well, I certainly wouldn't want to kill you. That would be a crying shame. Gone too soon."

She laughed and shook her head at him. "You're a jackass."

"Occasionally," he told her with a smirk.

* * *

If Wyatt was honest with himself, he knew they'd end up here from the first second he'd heard her laugh. He was immediately attracted to her. Boyfriend be damned. She'd awoken something in him just by being around him. He felt the need to protect her, support her, encourage her. He hadn't wanted to be a part of someone else's life like that in years. But then she'd gone and seen right through him. She'd seen his fears and his insecurities and turned the tables on him. He'd wanted to support and encourage her but he hadn't expected her to do the same. What else could he do but kiss her?

And that kiss? That kiss threw him for a loop. It took all he had in him to keep his hands off of her on the walk to her apartment. But he knew the next time he touched her it wouldn't end so innocently. It was best to wait until they were alone.

Once they were alone, she'd surprised him again by how much of a damn firecracker she was. She'd escalated each situation on her own, before he could, with a bit of a bossy edge that only served to turn him on even more.

And now here they were, on her bed with her legs wrapped around him and her bare chest against his. He'd seen it coming but still he wasn't completely prepared because the reality of Lucy Preston far exceeded anything he'd imagined earlier in the evening. The way she reacted to every touch, every kiss, every breath against her skin only served to encourage him. Watching her react was just as rewarding as anything she was doing to him.

He didn't know if she'd go back to her douchebag doctor after all of this. Part of him thought she should because surely Dr. Douche would be less complicated and have less baggage than him. But the other part of him selfishly thought there was no way this Noah guy could really care for her the way he could. Nothing was guaranteed and he didn't know what she wanted, but if he only had one night he was going to make it count. She'd remember it and so would he.

His hands slowly ran up the length of her legs, from the bare feet he'd stared at during her soundcheck earlier that night to the thighs he'd caressed while she straddled him on the couch just a moment ago. His hands traced the line of her underwear across the top of her thighs to her center. She arched against him and sighed appreciatively. Wyatt reached for the waistband as she lifted her hips and allowed him to slide them down and off. Lucy kicked them away and Wyatt then focused on every inch of her soft skin. He trailed kisses down her throat, to the valley between her breasts, and then lower still across her stomach. She writhed and whimpered and groaned each time his lips touched her. He was getting exactly the reaction he wanted. He moved lower and lower until he reached the inside of her thigh.

He smirked at her and then at the small bundle of dark curls that covered her most sensitive spot. He waited a beat, watching her breathe heavily and anticipate his next move. He felt the sound she made, when he was finally tasting her, deep in his belly. It was a beautifully soft wanton sound. Her hands dug into his hair and he smiled against her.

"I'm serious," she said between gasps. "You're killing me."

He chuckled and then slipped one finger inside of her. He curled that finger while it was buried inside of her and she bucked against him.

"God, Wyatt," she breathed.

His name in a desperate plea leaving her lips was what finally did him in. The last layer of fabric between them was his boxers and the minute her name left his lips he'd practically ripped them off and threw them aside. Once he was eye level with her he realized they'd never discussed contraception. Her eyes met his and he could tell she knew what he was worried about. She brought a gentle hand up to his cheek. She softly caressed it and then slid that hand back into his hair.

"I'm on the pill," she told him with a knowing smirk. "We're good."

That was the last thing he needed to know before he positioned himself over her and slowly sunk into her. She gasped and he groaned at the exact same moment.

"Holy shit," Wyatt said in surprise as her wet and hot center molded itself around him. "God, you're perfect." She really was, he thought. They fit, better than he could have anticipated.

She moved underneath him, just a fraction of an inch, and it nearly pushed him over the edge.

"Fuck," Lucy said underneath him.

Despite himself he laughed. He hadn't heard her curse all night long and _this_ was what made it happen. "I'm trying," he said with another laugh.

She shook her head but laughed with him. "You did not."

"You keep walking into them," he told her with a chuckle. "I can't help it."

"Maybe you should just shut up and kiss me," she suggested with an amused grin.

"Don't mind if I do," he said as he brought his lips to hers again. This time as he kissed her he moved slowly within her.

He didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow and he still planned to make this a night they'd both remember, but one thing had changed. In this moment, he knew without a doubt that he wanted her to choose _him_. He didn't care if going back to Noah might be less complicated for her. He wanted her, all of her. Just like this. There was no way in hell Dr. Douchebag appreciated Lucy the way she deserved. Not like he could.

God, he was so screwed.


	6. Winning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back from vacation and WOW YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME. I got so many encouraging comments. Thank you!  
> Also, TIMELESS COMES BACK IN LIKE AN HOUR. YAY! Enjoy this chapter while we wait! ;)  
> Happy reading!  
> angellwings

The sound of the apartment door opening and closing woke Wyatt first. One quick look down told him it wasn't Lucy. She was still sleeping soundly with her head against his chest. They'd had a pretty legendary night if he did say so himself. He smiled fondly at her and then tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. Voices drifted down the hall from the living room and he could make out two feminine tones. He assumed one was Jiya, but he had no clue who the other could be.

The voices must have woken Lucy because she stirred and then slowly opened her eyes.

They landed on him and she immediately smiled brightly. He swore he stopped breathing for a moment at the sight of it.

"Good morning," she said in a groggy voice.

"Morning," he replied once he resumed breathing. "I think Jiya is home."

Lucy blindly reached across him for her phone and stayed with her chest perched over his as she glanced at the screen. It was casual and intimate and, goddamn, did he love it. "Yes, she texted me about twenty minutes ago that she was headed home. And- _damn it_ -Amy. We're supposed to be having sunday brunch. She's here too. She texted me to let her up a few minutes ago."

"I think Jiya may have already done that," Wyatt told her. "There are two voices in your living room."

"Right, okay," Lucy said as she sat up. "I just need a shower and a change of clothes."

"Yeah, I...I think I'm gonna go," Wyatt said hesitantly. He didn't really want to but he couldn't imagine Lucy wanted her sister to know she'd had some fling with a guy that wasn't Lucy's boyfriend.

"What?" Lucy asked in surprise. "Why?"

He lifted a brow at her pointedly. "Do you really want your roommate and your sister having brunch with your one night stand?"

Her brow furrowed at him before her gaze softened and she ran a soothing hand through his hair. "Wyatt, I never said you were a one night stand," she said in a gentle and warm tone.

Of all the things she could have said he wasn't expecting that. "I just figured with Dr. Noah around you wouldn't-"

"It's Nick," she said reflexively before realizing, a moment later, what she'd actually said. "Wait, No. I mean-what did you call him again?"

"You're forgetting his name already," Wyatt told her with an amused grin. "That's a point for me."

She rolled her eyes at him and smacked his arm playfully. She chuckled for a moment before her expression grew serious and she met his eyes. "I told you last night. I'm not even sure that I want him anymore. Or that I really ever did. So, _stay_ , please. I want you to meet Amy. I think you'll really like her."

"If you really want me to," Wyatt said as he gave her a skeptical glance.

"I do. I want you to," Lucy answered.

"Okay," he said with a small smile and a kiss to her forehead. "But someone's going to have to go out there and get my pants so I can run out to my Jeep for my spare clothes."

"Right," Lucy said as she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "That should be me. This might take a minute." She started to slide out of the bed but Wyatt reached over and gently took her wrist. She rebounded back to him with a curious look. "Yes?"

"I forgot something," he told her with a smirk.

"What's that?"

He closed the distance between them and kissed her slowly and soundly in response. He pulled away when the need for air became too great and then grinned at Lucy. "That. I forgot that."

She laughed and then kissed him again. This kiss was quick but full of amused affection. "I could get used to this."

"That's what I'm hoping for," Wyatt told her with a soft lazy smile.

She blushed and gave him one last affectionate glance before throwing on her robe and stepping out into the hallway.

He could get used to this too.

* * *

"Good morning, all," Lucy said hesitantly as she approached where Jiya and Amy sat at the kitchen table.

Jiya quirked a brow at her and grinned. "Well, good morning. I have a feeling you had a good night last night."

"What makes you say that?" Lucy asked as she feigned innocence.

"The pair of men's dress slacks on the living room floor next to your dress," Amy answered with a smirk as she pointed to the pile of clothing next to the couch.

"About that..."

"It was that Wyatt guy, wasn't it?" Jiya asked with excited curiosity. "I knew you liked him!"

"Wyatt? Who's Wyatt?" Amy asked with an eager grin. She turned to Jiya before she continued. "Is he hot?"

"Gorgeous," Jiya answered with a nod. "Killer blue eyes."

"Nicely done, sis," Amy said as she gave her older sister an approving nod.

Lucy rolled her eyes at them. "I should never have introduced the two of you."

"But you did and now you're stuck with us," Jiya said with a laugh.

"I'm guessing Mr. Blue Eyes is still here?" Amy asked as she glanced toward Lucy's bedroom door.

Lucy nodded and then wandered over to the clothes on the floor. She picked up her dress and his pants and belt that they'd discarded the night before and folded them while she talked. "I invited him to brunch."

"Oh, in that case, can I join?" Jiya asked with an excited bounce. "My short interaction with him yesterday was not enough."

"As long as you're on your best behavior," Lucy told her with a chuckle.

"Do you really think I'd risk my chance to have _him_ visit us instead of Noah?" Jiya asked her. "That guy gives me the creeps. I'd much prefer to see Brooding Blue Eyes on the other side of my peephole than Noah."

Amy giggled and bit her bottom lip. "Was it just me or did that sound dirty?"

"Peephole does sound like it could _easily_ mean something else," Jiya said with a loud laugh.

"Yeah, I should never have let you two become friends. What was I thinking?" Lucy asked them with a teasing grin and a shake of her head.

"Seriously, sis," Amy said as she caught her big sister's gaze. "Does this mean you're dumping Noah?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. Maybe." She felt obligated to give Noah a chance to explain himself but honestly what could he say that would make her forget the night she'd had with Wyatt? She thought back on the events of the previous day. Their first conversation, their dance, the drinks, and then everything that followed and knew there was nothing Noah could say to top it. She'd finally felt a real connection to another person and it felt so amazing that it didn't matter how perfect Noah seemed on paper. He would never be Wyatt Logan. "Probably," Lucy amended with a blush and a shy smile.

Amy and Jiya high fived and ignored Lucy's scolding glare.

She chuckled at them and then remembered the reason she'd come out here in the first place. "I need to take him his pants and he's going to go down the block to his Jeep. He has extra clothes. Can I trust the two of you to not heckle or catcall him as he walks through?"

"I make no promises," Amy said as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Hey, I'm attached to the geekiest and most wonderful genius in the world so you don't have to worry about me. I've got myself a hero in a hoodie and I'm not looking anywhere else," Jiya said with a giddy smile. "Oh god I want to call him. Is it too soon to call him?"

Amy laughed at her. "You just got home!"

"I know," Jiya said with a long suffering sigh. "But I miss him!"

"I leave you two for one day and you're both suddenly in love," Amy said with a grin. "I'm never going out of town again."

"I'm not in love," Lucy told her defensively. The last thing she needed was for Wyatt to hear that and freak out. She didn't know how serious he wanted them to be. Or even what he wanted them to be at all, really.

"Not yet," Amy told her with a wink. "But I've never seen you look this happy or glow this much so I imagine you can't be that far off."

God, was she going to say this stuff in front of Wyatt? Did Lucy actually want him to meet her sister? This could be horribly embarrassing for everyone.

"Lucy," Amy said in an amused tone. "I'm teasing you. I promise I won't scare him away. I'll be good." Amy always knew exactly what Lucy was thinking. She had no idea how she did it.

"Pinky promise?" She asked her as she held out her pinky.

"Pinky promise," Amy repeated as she looped her pinky through Lucy's. They each sealed the promise with a kiss to their thumb. It was a silly gesture from their childhood but Amy had never once broken a pinky promise so that was good enough for Lucy.

Lucy returned to the bedroom and found Wyatt in his boxers, undershirt and dress shirt. He'd gotten as dressed as he could while she was gone. She handed him his pants and his belt and noticed he was hovering by the door.

She grinned at him and chuckled. "Were you listening?"

He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck before giving her a sheepish smile. "Maybe."

She laughed and then kissed his cheek. "It's fine. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same. The coast is clear. You can walk safely out of the apartment without being teased. Amy pinky promised."

"Well, if she pinky promised then how can I doubt her?" Wyatt asked with an amused smirk. "Just gonna go get my change of clothes out of my Jeep and then I'll be back."

Lucy nodded. "I'm going to hop in the shower and get changed. Jiya or Amy will let you back in and then the shower's all yours."

"Does that shower include you or..." His sentence trailed off and his eyes slid over her suggestively.

She smirked at him and then wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed herself flush against him and met his darkened blue eyes with her warm brown ones and then spoke. "It could," she said in low husky voice. "If you hurry."

"Oh, I'll hurry," he said with a smirk. " _Believe me_ , I'll hurry. Good thing that bar is only a block away." He kissed her quickly, threw the pants and belt on in record time, and then bolted out of her bedroom door.

She watched him go with a giggle and giddy smile. She could stand a few more mornings like this one. She could see him becoming a habit. A _good_ habit.

* * *

Wyatt got back in plenty of time to join Lucy in the shower, much to his relief. The hot water was gone by the time they'd finished and maybe they'd kept Jiya and Lucy's sister waiting but neither of them really seemed to be bothered by that. When Wyatt and Lucy emerged cleaned and dressed from her bedroom neither Jiya nor Lucy's younger sister had mentioned how long they'd been missing. But he didn't miss the little knowing grins that they tossed at Lucy.

"We started the pancake batter already," Jiya told them. "We have two batches because _someone_ insisted on chocolate chips."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "I wonder who that could be? _Amy_."

"Pancakes without chocolate chips are boring," Amy said with a shake of her head.

"She's not wrong," Wyatt said with a smirk and a shrug.

Lucy glared at him playfully. "Traitor."

Amy smirked at him and held out her hand for a shake. "Amy Preston."

"Wyatt Logan," he said as he grinned and accepted her shake.

"Looks like you and I are going to be sharing the chocolate chip pancakes," Amy said with a smirk.

"More for us," Wyatt said with a chuckle.

"Yes, well while you guys have dessert for breakfast," Lucy said with a grin. "Jiya and I will be having blueberry pancakes like adults."

Jiya snorted. "I'd hardly call us adults. I binge watch sci fi and play video games and you cover wedding tunes with your band."

"My _professional_ band," Lucy told Jiya with a teasing glare. "We don't just show up randomly. People pay us."

"Right. Sorry I forgot," Jiya said as she bumped Lucy's shoulder and grinned at her. "Well, at least that's better than Amy's podcast."

"Hey! Ow!" Amy said as she threw a chocolate chip at Jiya.

Jiya laughed and dodged it.

Wyatt's eyes followed Lucy as she watched her sister and her roommate with warm affection and a relaxed smile. God, she was beautiful. He'd thought so before, but now that he was able to watch her in her comfort zone his admiration grew. She clearly loved her sister and, though her friendship with Jiya seemed new, her bond with her roommate was already tight. Lucy seemed to care about people with everything she had in her. She'd had the same small group of friends since her freshman year of college so he knew she was fiercely loyal. He was eager to have that care and loyalty directed at him.

The four of them got to work making breakfast. Wyatt was given the task of cooking the bacon and the sausage and he was happy to oblige. He had to admit, he spent majority of his time with other men and spending his mid-morning making breakfast with a group of women was a welcome change. There was more laughing and more throwing of food. His team had never thrown blueberries and chocolate chips so carelessly while making a meal. He felt like just as many blueberries ended up on the floor as in the batter.

"You ladies actually going to leave any blueberries for the pancakes?" He asked with a quirked brow and a grin. He was rewarded with three blueberries to the back of his head. "I guess not."

He moved the bacon and sausage to the platter Lucy had handed him and sat it down on the kitchen table. He wasn't even a little surprised to find exactly two pancakes finished and sitting on a large plate.

"Am I the only one actually working in this kitchen?" He asked as he came to stand beside of Lucy with a teasing smile.

"Half the fun of brunch is throwing food," Lucy told him with a bright smile. She threw a chocolate chip at him, but instead of letting it hit him he opened his mouth and ducked slightly so he could catch it. Lucy's eyes widened and she laughed merrily. "Impressive."

"Thank you, ma'am," Wyatt said with a soft laugh.

"Okay, hold on," Amy said with a smirk. "That wasn't that impressive. You're standing right next to him."

Wyatt turned a challenging look on Lucy's sister. "Okay, you wanna test this?" He handed Amy the bag of chocolate chips and motioned for her to back up. "I can go long. Can you throw?"

Lucy shook her head and turned to look at Jiya. "We're going to be finding chocolate chips all over the apartment for days after this."

"Oh, I can throw, soldier boy," Amy said with a grin as she backed from the kitchen into the living room. He smirked at her as she backed all the way to the opposite wall. "Go big or go home, Logan."

"Fine by me," he said with a chuckle. "Whenever you're ready, Little Preston."

"Did-did he just call me little?" Amy asked with a surprised glance before she glared half heartedly. Wyatt could tell Amy liked him. He liked her too. She was loud and brash and she laughed a lot. In his life people who laughed frequently had proved hard to find.

"Yeah, he did," Jiya confirmed. "You gonna let him get away with that?"

"Oh hell no," Amy said quietly before she tossed a chocolate chip at him. He caught it easily. She tossed two more in quick succession and he caught both of those too. She followed with another three for good measure which he'd easily caught. Six out of six was good enough for him.

"You done yet?" Wyatt asked with a smirk and quirked brow.

Amy rolled her eyes at him but continued to grin. "Okay, now I'm impressed," she admitted.

Wyatt gave the three women a small bow. "Thank you."

"Well, while you two idiots were showing off," Jiya said from the kitchen. "I made pancakes. Who's ready to eat?"

"We're keeping him around, right?" Amy asked Lucy as they all sat down around the table. "He's a lot more interesting than _Noah_ ," Amy said as she stuck her tongue out in disgust. "I strongly dislike that guy."

Wyatt snorted and grinned at Lucy with a teasing glance. "Yeah, Lucy, I'm a lot more interesting than Dr. Nick. You should keep me around." Lucy rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

"Please don't inflate Wyatt's ego," Lucy said with feigned exasperation. "He's a bit too confident as it is."

"It's true, though," Jiya told Lucy in agreement. "If Noah were here we'd have gone somewhere to eat out for brunch which would have been _boring_. And is usually why I don't let myself be included. That guy is so stiff. He'd never have approved of all the food throwing let alone joined in."

Wyatt smirked slowly and puffed up his chest just slightly in a proud gesture. The sister and the roommate liked him better than Noah. Those were marks in his favor, surely. Lucy rolled her eyes and smacked his arm.

"Your ego's showing, soldier," Lucy told him as she bit back a grin.

From his seat next to her, he leaned toward her ear and placed a lingering kiss to the hinge of her jaw. He hovered there as he spoke. "Can you blame me? I told you," he whispered into her ear. "I'm in it to win it and, right now, I'm pretty sure I'm winning."


	7. Hello Goodbye

After brunch, Wyatt decided to leave. Lucy didn't really want him to leave but he had a few errands to run and she didn't want to come off as clingy and needy on day two of knowing him. She wasn't either of those things but she'd been enjoying his company so much that she never wanted it to end. She felt like the minute he walked out that door, the bubble would burst and she'd never see him again.

And it shocked her how desperately she wanted to see him again. They exchanged numbers and then had a good laugh about that being the only thing they hadn't done at this point.

"I'll call you later," he said with a grin as they stood outside her apartment door.

"You will? You really will? Because I've had guys tell me that before and then they--"

"I'll call you later," he repeated as he grinned turned into a soft, affectionate smile.

And damn if his blue eyes didn't make her believe every word. He stepped forward until her back was pressed against the door and leaned over her with his arm propped on the doorframe. His other hand landed on her hip as he leaned in further and captured her lips with his.

God, he was so good at this kissing thing. The kiss was intrusive but slow and her arms almost immediately went around his neck. He kissed her so deeply that she almost opened the door behind them to drag him back inside. When they pulled apart she could tell he was a moment away from doing the same. His eyes were dark and she could feel his heated skin through his t-shirt. He looked like he was ready to devour her right then and there.

He cleared his throat and then took a deep breath. To calm himself, she assumed.

"Trust me, I'll be calling you," Wyatt said as he focused his heated gaze on hers. "I don't think I could stay away from you if I tried."

Was it strange to trust a stranger so easily? Because she did trust him. Completely.

"It's a good thing that I don't want you to stay away then, isn't it?" She asked him with a teasing smirk. "You know, considering there are stalker laws and everything."

"I am very aware of how lucky I am that you gave me a chance, ma'am," Wyatt told her in a self deprecating tone with a small insecure shrug. "You could have kicked me to the curb at any point last night and I would not have blamed you one bit."

"You talk like I'm some shining example of goodness, but, Wyatt, I'm the girl who's currently cheating on her boyfriend and doesn't actually feel guilty about the cheating. I feel guilty about not feeling guilty but I haven't for one second felt guilty about being with you. What kind of person, does that?" Lucy asked him rhetorically with a sigh and a shake of her head.

He reached out brushed a stray strand of hair from her eyes before letting his blue eyes meet her brown ones and speaking softly, "I think you said it best last night, Lucy. Some relationships just don't fit. We want it to work but it doesn't. You and Nick--"

"Noah," she said with an amused grin.

Wyatt ignored her and continued his sentence. His tone warmed and softened the longer his eyes stayed on hers. "You and him, you just don't fit. I know the decision is yours to make and I don't want to pressure you, but last night was honestly one of the best nights of my life so far. We fit pretty damn well together, You and me. Figuratively and literally," he told her with a wink.

She blushed and nodded her agreement. "I cannot dispute that fact," she said with a flirtatious grin.

"So, you think about that and in the meantime..." Wyatt held up his phone as he spoke. "I'll call you."

"Oh, I'll be thinking about it," Lucy said with a laugh. "Not sure I can think about anything else."

"Then I have completed my mission objective," Wyatt said with a smirk.

"Are you going to pull out that soldier boy stuff every time you think you're winning?" She asked him teasingly.

"Probably," he answered with a chuckle. "Thank you for including me in brunch. I like your sister. She's a handful. Though, I have a feeling that runs in the family," he told her with a playful grin.

"She definitely got it honest," Lucy agreed sheepishly. "She liked you too, obviously. Jiya too. I actually think they might like you more than they like me," She told him with a light laugh.

"That would be a first for me. Winning the approval of the family and friends," Wyatt said with a hollow chuckle.

"Jessica's family didn't approve?" Lucy asked with a furrowed brow. It was hard to imagine anyone disapproving of Wyatt. Anyone sensible, at least.

"I was the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, literally, and she was the hometown princess," Wyatt said with another insecure shrug. "They thought I was bad news. They weren't wrong."

Lucy scoffed at him and shook her head. She reached up and ran her delicate hands through his hair as she spoke. "Yes, they were, Wyatt. They were very wrong. I told you last night, you're not a bad guy. I haven't known you for that long but I already know that for certain. Anyone who didn't approve of you, just didn't care to even look at you in the first place and that isn't your fault."

"And your mother not being able to accept you for who you choose to be isn't your fault either," Wyatt reminded her. He's closed his eyes when her fingers went into his hair but he opened them to meet her now watery brown eyes as he spoke. "Wanting to decide the kind of life you will lead does not make you a horrible daughter and being selfish is not always a bad thing."

She let out a low soggy laugh and her hands stilled in his hair. "We make quite the pair. You with your guilt complex and me with my mother issues."

He gave her a lopsided smirk and pressed his forehead to hers. "Maybe that's even more of a reason we fit so well," he told her. "We can carry each other's baggage."

"Your baggage doesn't seem so heavy to me," she said softly.

"Can't say I'd mind carrying yours around, either," he admitted.

"This is insane," Lucy said with a chuckle. "I met you less than twenty-four hours ago."

He grinned sadly and nodded. "Exactly why I should probably leave. Some distance might give us both a bit of perspective. I'm still in it to win but I don't want you making an impulsive decision you'd regret later."

"See, you keep saying things like that and you just reinforce the decision I think I'm going to make," Lucy told him with a soft smile.

He kissed her forehead and then stepped back several paces. "I should go. I'll call you later."

She nodded and took a deep fortifying breath. "Right, okay." This was all happening very fast and he was right. They needed space.

"Don't judge me if I call you sooner than people tell me I'm supposed to," Wyatt warned her with a smirk. "Okay?"

She giggled and nodded. "Okay."

He gave her one last wave and walked away from her. She waited until he was out of sight before she turned and went back into the apartment.

"That must have been some goodbye," Amy said with a smirk. Lucy must have looked a bit dazed and starry eyed because that's how she felt. "You were out there forever."

Lucy blushed and grinned in response before placing a hand to her forehead. Her face felt heated. "I have no idea what is happening to me. I just met him last night. This is crazy. I don't do this."

"This what?" Jiya asked as she finished loading the dishwasher. "Date guys you actually feel attracted to?"

Lucy rolled her eyes at Jiya. "No, this reckless-jump-first-think-later-sex-before-the-first-date thing. That's not me."

"Maybe it is if he's the right guy," Amy said with a shrug. "If you feel a strong connection, you'd be an idiot to ignore it, Lucy. And you are no idiot."

"Agreed," Jiya said with a nod.

"Have you talked to mom since I distanced myself from Noah?" Lucy asked Amy curiously.

"Luce, really, it doesn't matter what mom thinks. It's your life," Amy told her with a shake of her head.

"So, you have talked to her?" Lucy asked knowingly. "She's pissed, isn't she?"

"Of course, she's pissed," Amy said with a huff. "When it comes to you she always thinks she knows best."

"Yeah, you know how come she doesn't pull this stuff with you?" Lucy asked her sister with a playful glare. "It's really not fair."

"I am perfectly fine being known as the slacker child," Amy said with a light chuckle. "I have no issues with mom's total lack of interest in my academic career and extracurriculars growing up. It just means I got to be the fun sister."

"I'm fun," Lucy said with a roll of her eyes. "I mean Wyatt didn't have any complaints," Lucy told her sister and Jiya with a smirk.

Amy and Jiya laughed loudly at her.

"Wow, sis," Amy said with an approving nod. "I'm loving this confidence."

"Seriously, Noah made you question everything," Jiya told her. "I'm not sure you realized that."

"I realized it," Lucy admitted. "He spent the majority of the time we were together trying to talk me into going back to school or reconcile with mom. I should have put together that what he wanted from me is what she's always wanted from me too."

"Mom said she thought Noah would get you 'back on track'," Amy said with a tired sigh.

"Right, cause I'm so lost and unfortunate," Lucy said with a scoff. "Do you think Noah feels that way too? That I'm 'off track' and he could fix me? I mean what did he even really like about me, anyway?" She paused and bit her lip thoughtfully. "I have so many questions."

"Then ask them," Jiya suggested. "The jackass owes you that much. He lied to you and tried to manipulate you into talking to your mother. Granted, I've never met your mother but she sounds like one of those Tiger Mom types that all my STEM Fair friends had in school. God, I hated those Tiger Moms. Thank God my parents had no idea what STEM Fairs were. I avoided that."

"You're suggesting I call Noah and meet up just so he can tell me what his endgame was?" Lucy asked her.

"I don't know that I like that idea," Amy said with a furrowed brow and a worried expression.

"You have to break up with him anyway, don't you?" Jiya asked. "Might as well kill two birds with one stone."

"True," Lucy said with a slow nod. "Though I never officially said I planned to break up with him," she stated as she gave Jiya a teasing grin.

"Please," Jiya said with a chuckle. "I spent the morning watching you and Wyatt make heart eyes at each other. When he's around you don't even remember Noah's name."

Lucy smirked as she thought back to earlier that morning when she'd accidentally called him Nick. Jiya didn't know how true that statement actually was. Lucy pulled out her phone and started to text Noah but a hand was suddenly placed over her phone screen.

"Are you sure about this?" Amy asked her in concern.

"I'll be fine, little sister," Lucy assured her. "Noah, for all his other faults, is very level headed. I'm not worried."

"Okay," Amy said with a sigh. "Just make sure you meet him in a public place. For my sake at least."

"Promise," Lucy said as she finished her text to Noah. It was just a quick 'we need to talk' but he responded almost immediately with the suggestion that they meet in an hour. He offered to pick her up but she politely declined. She decided they'd meet at the bar down the block from her apartment where she and Wyatt had their drinks the night before. It was public and on a street with lots of traffic. In the odd chance that this went badly, it would be easy to get away quickly.

* * *

Wyatt's phone rang as he parked outside of his building and he grinned at the number on his screen.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing newlywed things?" Wyatt asked as he answered.

"Oh trust me, we've got that covered," Bam-Bam said with a laugh. "But Celia and I were dying to know where you and Lucy snuck off to last night."

Wyatt smirked and contemplated how he wanted to play this. He wasn't sure how much Lucy wanted other people to know or even what he wanted other people to know. So vague was probably best.

"Just for a couple of drinks," Wyatt answered simply. "To talk."

"Uh-huh," Bam-Bam said with a dry chuckle. He wasn't buying it, Wyatt knew. There was commotion in the background and Wyatt could hear Celia talking but couldn't make out what she was saying. "Okay, okay," Bam-Bam said with a laugh. "Celia wants to know if you've gotten Lucy to kick Noah to the curb yet."

"Not sure," Wyatt answered honestly. "I'm sure someone will tell you if she does."

The conversation they had when he left gave him hope. Maybe too much hope. Part of him was afraid giving her time to think was a mistake and that the more time she had the more likely she was to go running back to Dr. Douchebag. But he didn't want her to make a decision she'd regret. He didn't want her to choose him and then resent him for it. She needed to seriously consider her options. He needed to let her have that time.

"What did you do, man?" Bam-Bam asked. "Did you back off to give her time to think? You did, didn't you?"

"She's taking a bigger risk than me," Wyatt said with a shrug. He knew Bam-Bam couldn't hear his shrug but it was a self deprecating reflex at this point. "She needs to be sure."

"Man, you doubt yourself too much," Bam-Bam said seriously. "You're a good guy, Wyatt. One of the best. You deserve to have someone who sees that. If that person is Lucy, then fight for her. You'll regret it if you don't."

He wasn't planning on giving up anytime soon. But he wasn't going to stalk the woman if she wanted nothing to do with him. When she made her decision he'd respect it. Respecting her decision and approving of it were two different things. He knew if that happened, he'd have to tell her, more for own sake than his, how much of a mistake that was. Because it wasn't so much about her choosing Wyatt over Noah as it was about her realizing how much Noah didn't deserve her. He'd never met the man but he'd heard enough to know, Noah wasn't worthy of Lucy. Wyatt doubted he was, but at least he cared about what Lucy wanted and who she wanted to be. It wasn't his role to pressure her into being someone else. Besides, why would he want her to be someone else at all? He liked _Lucy_ as she was. The Lucy she chose to be. He only wanted to support her.

Is that what Noah wanted? He sincerely doubted it based on the intel he already had.

So, if Lucy chose Noah then he'd have no choice but to tell her how he felt. In the hopes of her finding someone who wanted her to be herself, to support her for who she chose to be. Even if it wasn't him.

"I have enough regrets," Wyatt replied. "I don't plan on letting Lucy be one of them," he told Bam-Bam in a determined voice.

"Good," Bam-Bam agreed. "I saw the two of you last night and, man, I haven't seen you that happy in a long time. I'd hate for you to lose that."

He'd hate to lose that too. It felt good to care for someone else again. He'd nearly forgotten how to feel that way at all.

* * *

Lucy reached the bar exactly on time and as she expected Noah was already there. He'd ordered her a white wine and himself some local craft beer. He never ordered a brand anyone would recognize. She'd always thought that was a little pretentious but she'd dismissed it as a quirk and let it slide. All it did now was reinforce that initial impression. Pretentious, conceited, and something very slightly smarmy. She'd seen that right away, but thought she was being judgemental. The more dates they had, the less she thought about that initial impression. Now, as she watched him impatiently tapping his foot and checking the time on his Rolex, she remembered.

He spotted her approaching the table and stood. He leaned in for a kiss but she turned her head just in time for him to catch her cheek. His confidence faltered at that, she could tell, but it passed quickly and he smiled at her easily.

"I'm glad you wanted to meet," he said as they both sat back down. "We can finally put this whole mess behind us."

Again, not an apology. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"I have some questions," Lucy told him honestly. "You have to admit you owe me answers."

He nodded eagerly. "Absolutely, I'll answer any questions you have."

"Why did you want to date me?" She asked. "Why did you ask me out to begin with?"

"Why wouldn't I want to date you?" He asked in return.

Not exactly an answer. She must not have looked convinced because he continued.

"You're beautiful, brilliant, you could do anything you set your mind to, Lucy," he said with a soft smile.

That didn't strike her as being as complimentary as he thought it would. It sounded like something her mother used to say to her growing up. "You've said that before," Lucy said thoughtfully. "You know that I've made my choices already, don't you? I chose music. That's what I plan to do for the rest of my life."

"That's what you think now," He said with a kind grin that didn't meet his eyes. "But you never know what opportunities you might find interesting in the future."

"Right," she said with a hollow chuckle. "Possibly an opportunity that could get me _back on track_ , is that it?" She was purposefully using the words she knew her mother had used too.

"Exactly," Noah said with a nod and a smile. He reached for her hand and she pulled it away.

She sighed tiredly and shook her head. "I'm never going to back to finish my degree, Noah. I'm just not. I love my life and my career and my band. I'm not lost or confused and I don't need redirecting." She waved the waitress over and ordered a whiskey neat. She never drank whiskey but for some reason she felt the need to be reminded of Wyatt and the previous night. The waitress brought it over quickly. She smirked dryly at Noah before she downed the drink in one gulp. It burned but it gave her the boost she needed. It reminded her of someone out there who didn't want to change her. "This isn't going to work," Lucy told him. "You lied to me and you keep trying to manipulate me into doing things you know I don't want to do. You're exactly like _her_. No wonder she sent you my way."

"Lucy, you're not thinking this through," he said dismissively. "You're emotional."

"Yes, yes I am," she said with a laugh. "What exactly is wrong with that? Having emotions? Letting your emotions make your decisions? I like using my heart instead of my head. I know my mother hates that, but I'm not her. I never want to be her. So, this," she said as she motioned between herself and Noah. "Is over."

"For now," Noah said with a deceptive calm she was certain he didn't actually feel. In fact, the anger she could see just under his cool exterior actually frightened her.

"No, Noah, _for good_." She stood and stepped out of the booth. Just as she turned a strong grip tightened around her arm. She turned with a glare and moved to wrench her arm from his grasp but his grip was too firm. All she managed to was cause herself pain. She winced and clenched her jaw. "Let me go," she said through clenched teeth. "What is wrong with you?"

His eyes met hers and she saw true frustration and rage burning in them. Once again, she felt fear. This was not the Noah she'd been dating. This was someone else. The rage quelled and he seemed to remember himself. His grip loosened slowly and he cautiously brought his hand back to his side.

"I-I'm sorry," he muttered as he looked away from her. "I shouldn't have-Look, let me buy you dinner tonight at least. We can talk more about this-"

"I'm done talking about this," Lucy said as she backed a few steps away from him. "I don't want to have dinner and I don't want to see you anymore. I'm not the person who will make you happy, Noah. Please accept that." She turned on her heel and walked briskly away from him.

What the hell was that? She glanced behind her briefly. She couldn't shake the feeling she was being followed. She was afraid Noah might have come after her but she didn't see him anywhere. She was being paranoid. That's all it was. Those last few minutes with Noah had been terrifying and she was still feeling the adrenaline. She had nothing to worry about.

Her phone rang and Noah's picture was displayed on the screen. She declined the call as she reached her building and wasted no time getting inside. She was being crazy. Completely crazy. She closed the apartment door and locked both deadbolts. Just in case.

Her phone rang again and she jumped before daring to look at the screen. She breathed a sigh of relief at the name that greeted her. _Wyatt_.

"Hey," she said as she took a deep calming breath.

"Hey," he replied. His tone sounded worried. He must have heard her ragged breathing. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," she said as a smile spread across her face. Why did just the sound of his voice leave her feeling so safe? That wasn't normal. She knew that wasn't normal.

"So," He asked. "What have you been up to in the past, what, two hours?"

She could hear the grin in his voice and she laughed lightly. Had it really been just a couple of hours since they'd parted ways in her hallway?

"Well," she said with a smirk she knew he could hear. "I met Noah for a drink."

"Okay," he said as his chipper tone dimmed slightly.

"And I ended it. Like just now. Before you called," she admitted.

"You...you what?"

Why did he sound so surprised? He'd been so confident with his "in it to win it" talk earlier that day. Surely, he wasn't expecting her to choose Noah.

"I broke up with Noah," she repeated. "You were right, Wyatt. Noah and I do not fit. We never did."

"You don't have any plans now do you?" Wyatt asked after a moment of prolonged silence. She was beginning to wonder if he was still on the line.

"None whatsoever," she answered.

"And you're at your place?" He asked.

"Yes, just got home."

"Good, stay right there," he said with audible happiness. "I'm coming to pick you up and I'm taking you to dinner. Okay?"

She smiled brightly against the phone. "Okay."

A moment ago, she'd felt like some sort of danger was looming over her but that feeling was gone now. All she'd wanted to do when she entered her building was lock herself in her apartment and hide, but one phone call from Wyatt and all she felt was undeniable happiness. How did he do that? Why did he do that? Should she be concerned that he had such a strong effect on her?

No, she scolded herself, stop over thinking. Just be. _Just be._

But that was the puzzling thing, wasn't it? It was incredibly easy to _just be_ when it came to Wyatt. She felt a very natural ease with him that she'd never felt with anyone else before. She should stop questioning it and allow herself to enjoy it.

To enjoy _him_.


	8. Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh gosh guys, season two has started and it's amazing. I've watched the premiere SO MANY TIMES by now. Why isn't it already Sunday?  
> Hopefully this helps pass the time while you wait!  
> Happy Reading!  
> angellwings

He hung up the phone and stared at it in disbelief for a moment. She'd actually done it. She'd broken up with Noah. She'd chosen _him_. He felt giddy. He never felt giddy. But right now he was nearly buzzing with happiness. He'd talked a big game with his 'in it to win it' speech but he didn't know if he'd actually win. He'd doubted himself. But she hadn't.

He smiled softly and all but ran to his Jeep. He wasn't wasting another minute. He raced over to Lucy's and parked outside of her building.

For a brief moment he felt a prickle at the back of his neck, as if eyes were out there watching him somewhere. His instincts kicked in and he glanced around for surveillance. Why the hell he was worried about that now, he couldn't understand, but it never hurt to be cautious. There were a few cars parked on the same block as Lucy's building but none that looked suspicious. He didn't see any odd bystanders on the street either. He dismissed the paranoia as a side effect of his job before stepping out of his Jeep.

He buzzed up to Lucy and Jiya's apartment and heard the security door click to unlock. He opened it and was careful to make sure it closed and locked behind him. He was still feeling uncertain about his surroundings. He couldn't explain it. Lucy was a civilian. He had no reason to feel this tension around her. He shook it away and reminded himself why he was there.

She'd picked him. He smirked and quickly took the stairs two at a time. He wanted this. He wanted her and he hadn't wanted anything for himself in a very long time.

He knocked and there was a pause before he heard not one but two deadbolts turn. He hadn't noticed the two deadbolts when he'd left earlier. Why did Lucy feel the need to lock them both? Did she have the same brief sense of danger he'd had a few moments ago?

He planned to ask her this but then she opened the door and smiled brightly at him. Any thoughts of danger disappeared. His hands cupped her face and without uttering a single word he immediately closed the distance between them. His lips covered hers and he felt her smile against him before she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. They stood in her doorway for several moments, one kiss leading to another, before they finally pulled apart for air.

"Let me get my bag," Lucy said with a bright smile and a flushed face. "Then we can go."

He managed to keep his hands on her hips as she reached back inside the door for her purse that was hanging by the door. He didn't plan to break contact with her anytime soon. She put the strap over her shoulder and backed him out of the doorway and locked her door behind her. His haze of happiness cleared for a moment when he noticed her lock both deadbolts. His earlier question rose from the fog.

"Earlier," he said as she took his hand and led him back toward the stairs. "You sounded afraid and just now you locked both locks. Is everything okay?"

She bit her bottom lip and gave him a reluctant glance. He knew then something had happened. Locking two locks wasn't normal for her.

"Lucy?" He asked when she was silent for a long moment.

"It's nothing," she said as she waved her free hand dismissively. "Noah just reacted badly to the break up."

He quirked a brow at her at that. "Reacted badly, how?" He did not like the sound of that.

"He was angrier than I anticipated and it scared me. That's all," she said as she shook her head. "I'm just being silly. Don't worry, okay?"

He nearly scoffed but caught himself before he did. Don't worry? Yeah, that was likely, he thought sarcastically. "If you feel unsafe then it's not silly," he assured her. "It's better to be cautious than not. Trust me."

"It was just a brief moment of paranoia," she said with another shake of her head. "I'm fine now, really."

He'd brushed off his own sense of danger as paranoia earlier too but now he was starting to think neither of them were actually paranoid. That something might really be going on.

"Let's just forget I said anything, okay?" She asked as she adjusted their hands so her fingers were laced through his. "I don't want my irrational fears hovering over dinner."

He was about to say something about not finding her fears so irrational but thought better of it. He didn't want to scare her and, she was right, it shouldn't ruin dinner. Speaking of dinner.

"I was actually thinking," Wyatt said with a small grin. "That I'd make you dinner at my place."

She turned and gave him an impressed glance. "You want to cook for me?"

"This feels like it should be a special night," he told her. "So, yes, I'd like to cook for you."

She smiled brightly and nodded. "I am definitely not going to say no to that, Chef Logan. How could I?"

"Don't get too excited. I'm no professional or anything," he said with a chuckle.

"I'm sure you do just fine," Lucy said with a smirk and a wink. "I already know you can cook bacon and sausage like a pro."

* * *

The further away from her apartment they drove the less he felt that bizarre prickle of danger. He banished it from his thoughts for the time being but, given the fears Lucy had expressed to him about Noah, he'd certainly be looking into it later. Most likely he'd find nothing, but at least he'd know for sure. While driving he had an idea that would help him later when he got around to looking into Noah. He tossed Lucy his phone with an easy grin.

"You know what we haven't done?" He asked her.

"What?" She asked as she looked down at his unlocked phone.

"Friended each other on Facebook."

She laughed and grinned at him. "Big on Facebook, are you?"

"Not really, no, but Bam-Bam made me get one and I figure if I have to have one I should at least be friends with you," he told her with a wink. "Find yourself on there, for me, will you?"

She chuckled at him but did as he asked and then pulled out her phone to accept the friend request she'd sent herself. "There," she told him. "Now we're Facebook friends. Happy?"

"Very," he told her with a grin. Now, he could find information on Noah later. Surely, he and Lucy were facebook friends. Based on what he knew of Noah, he was the type of man to be concerned with his public image and he'd want people to know if he was dating a woman as gorgeous as Lucy. That was just the type of conceited jerk Wyatt knew Noah had to be.

They reached his apartment and he led Lucy inside. He hung up her purse and sweater on the hook on the back of his door and then motioned for her to sit on the old stool in front of his breakfast bar.

Lucy looked around his apartment as she sat. "You're not much for decorating, are you?"

He laughed as he gathered the ingredients he needed. "I'm usually not here long enough to decorate. I really just need a bed, a shower, and a kitchen."

He watched her while he prepared the food and saw the moment where she finally noticed the one picture he'd managed to hang on his wall. It was of him and his Grandpa Sherwin at his high school graduation. It was the only framed picture he had. The rest of his photos were in an album, in a closet somewhere, because most were of him and Jessica. He didn't need daily reminders of that relationship lying around. Lucy stood from the stool and walked over to study the picture.

"Is this your grandfather?" She asked.

Wyatt gave her half of a smile and nodded as he opened a can of diced tomatoes. "That's my Grandpa Sherwin, alright."

"You favor him," Lucy told him as she smiled fondly at the photo. "I see the resemblance."

"You should see pictures of him from his World War II days," Wyatt told her. "The resemblance was truly scary when he was younger."

"If you have them then I'd love to see them sometime," she said with a soft grin.

He met her eyes and nodded slowly. Normally, he didn't offer up personal details so quickly but he didn't feel any hesitation to share his family with Lucy. "After dinner, then."

"Really?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah," he told her. "He left all of his old photos to me and I remember you saying you like history so, yeah, I'd love for you to see them. I think you'd appreciate them."

"Thank you," she said with a bright smile.

"He would have loved you," Wyatt told her as he continued to put the spaghetti sauce together. He went to the fridge for the ground beef he'd bought the other day and grabbed two beers while he was there. He didn't know if Lucy liked beer but he didn't have any wine.

"You think so?" She asked as she took the beer he offered her.

"Oh yeah, he was always very found of bossy women," Wyatt told her with a teasing smirk.

She gasped playfully and feigned offense. "Me? Bossy?"

"Yes, you. Bossy."

"Bossy's better than reckless, at least, like one particular soldier I know," she said with a pointed grin.

"Wow," he said with a laugh. "Known me for less than twenty four hours and you already have my number. Yeah, Grandpa Sherwin would have definitely liked you."

"I bet I would have liked him too," Lucy said with a fond smile and a chuckle. "So, what's for dinner?" She asked as she took a sip of her beer.

"Spaghetti," he told her. "I told you it wouldn't be impressive."

"Hey, you're actually _making_ sauce so you're automatically doing better than me," she said with a smirk. "I just heat up the kind that comes in a jar."

"Oh, that's no good," Wyatt told her. "You can do better than that."

"Considering cooking is my kryptonite, I highly doubt it. My first week living with Jiya, I set her toaster oven on fire. So, I think it's best I not taking any unnecessary risks," Lucy admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"Good to know. We'll just make sure to keep you away from my toaster," Wyatt said with a teasing grin. "Granted it's not a toaster oven but, like you said, it's best not to take any unnecessary risks."

She reached across the breakfast bar for a piece of diced tomato and threw it at him with a playful glare. He quickly dodged it and laughed. "Hey, now, just because you and Jiya and Amy throw food while you cook doesn't mean everyone does."

"I just assumed you'd catch it in your mouth like you did those chocolate chips this morning," she told him with a laugh. "Or are diced tomatoes harder to catch?"

God, he loved having her around. In less than a day he'd gotten himself addicted to her. How had he managed that? Having her here in his apartment made it feel more like a home to him than it had ever felt before.

He'd eventually gotten her in the kitchen with him. She cooked the pasta while he finished the sauce and then, despite his earlier teasing, she'd toasted the garlic bread. Cooking with and for someone else had always been one of his favorite things but he'd forgotten. Lucy made him remember. She'd been doing that a lot in the last day or so.

They'd sat side by side at his small kitchen table and talked and ate and flirted. Dinner took much longer to eat than it should have but neither of them seemed to mind. Lucy looked genuinely happy to be there with him and the idea that she could be as happy as he was right then floored him. Had he actually stumbled into something completely mutual? Were they on the same page? It seemed all of his worrying since he'd met her had been for nothing. She enjoyed his company as much as he enjoyed hers.

It was unbelievable but true.

They used dinner as an opportunity to ask the typical first date questions that they'd skipped the night before. Wyatt actually talked about his job and his team, which he never did. It tended to scare people away more than it drew them in. But Lucy hung on every word.

"So, why aren't you on an assignment now?" She asked as she grabbed another piece of garlic bread.

"After a particularly long mission, I usually get an extended leave to decompress. I never really know how long that leave is going to be. Sometimes it's 30 days, sometimes it's 90. I got the impression that this leave would be closer to 90. The last mission was a tough one. We had a few serious injuries on the team," he told her honestly. "They'll need time to recover."

He knew she could sense his guilt. She'd mentioned his guilt complex earlier that day and she'd been right. He tended to feel guilty even when he knew something couldn't possibly be his fault. He knew it logically, but it never felt that way.

"I'm sorry," she said as she took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "That must have been difficult."

"We've seen worse," he replied honestly. Because they had. They'd been through much worse. She squeezed his hand again and even though no words were spoken between them he took a shocking amount of comfort from that small gesture.

"Well," she said with a sad sigh. "I'm glad you made it back safe." She looked thoughtful for a moment before she spoke again. "If you're a part of a team then is it unusual to have solo assignments like Dave?"

"A little," he told her. "It happens sometimes. We get assigned to security details for various groups or as consultants. It's not common but it does happen. I've had a few of those assignments before myself."

"You know," she said with a small grin. "I never asked what your rank is."

He smirked and sat up a little straighter as he answered her. "Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan, ma'am."

She chuckled at him and his proud posture before smiling brightly and nodding. "Well, nice to meet you, Master Sergeant. You just keep impressing me," she told him with a soft smile.

"Don't worry, that'll stop eventually," he said with a self deprecating chuckle.

"I really don't think so," Lucy said seriously. "I've barely known you a day and even I can tell you severely underestimate yourself in most everything but your work. It makes for a strange mix of insecurity and overconfidence. Overconfident with your job, though if you weren't over confident about that I don't think you'd be quite so good at it. Insecure about your personal worth and happiness. Half the time, you don't realize how truly impressive you are and then for the other half you know exactly what your value is. It's puzzling," she told him honestly. "And I like it."

He didn't really know what to do with that or how to feel about it. None of what she said felt wrong or untrue and the idea that she could see him so clearly after so short of a time left him feeling unnerved and thrilled all at once. He couldn't think of what to say in return so he replied the only way he felt he could.

He kissed her.

If she was surprised by it she never showed it because she'd sunk into the kiss just as quickly as he'd done it. Before long dinner was forgotten and clothes were quickly being discarded and then he was leading her to his bedroom. This was exactly where he'd hoped the night would go. Only this time, in the morning there would be no roommates or sisters to disrupt them and no boyfriend hovering over them. There was an added since of freedom and exhilaration to their kisses and touches. This time they took things much slower. Time felt like it was on their side. No decisions had to be made before they could settle into each other this time. It didn't feel as though he were racing a ticking clock that was counting down to his last moment with Lucy.

He had no thoughts other than her as her bare chest pressed against his and his kisses slid down the length of her neck. He had one hand at the base of her neck and the other on the small of her back, pressing her tightly against him. Every one of her soft curves met his hard muscles and he was amazed, once again, at how well they fit together.

He'd worried about her being with someone who didn't deserve her, who wouldn't appreciate her. Part of him was still worried that he didn't deserve her but he knew for damn sure that he appreciated her. He could show her that she'd made the right decision. She'd picked him and he wouldn't disappoint her. He could make sure she never once regretted him. Starting now.

His kisses travelled further and further down her body, burning a trail between her breasts and over her stomach and she must have known he could only have one destination in mind. She let out a small sigh that resembled a whimper and her hands dug into his hair. Yes, she knew exactly where this was headed. He grinned against the inside of her bare thigh for a moment before placing a kiss there as well. She needed someone to be there for her. To support her.

He was determined to be that someone. He wasn't going to screw this up. Not this time.

Her hands tightened in his hair and he smirked. She was urging him to continue. She was tired of waiting. He chuckled lightly and placed a kiss to her opposite thigh and felt her writhe underneath him. He could feel her hands applying gentle pressure to his head. She was this close to directing him there herself.

Damn, she was bossy and, god, did he ever love it.

He held off for one more moment. He was waiting. Waiting for one thing that he knew was coming.

" _Wyatt."_

There it was. His name in a stern and urgent tone. Ordering him to follow through. _Bossy_.

Only then did he finally allow himself to taste her. She arched and whimpered at the very first touch of his mouth on her most sensitive area and this, he knew, was one of those things she'd alluded to that he was overconfident about. She'd never said but he knew. Because he knew the effect he had on her and, god damn it, he was proud of it. He knew whatever they had didn't come along every day and this reaction was only for him.

He couldn't explain how he knew that. He couldn't explain how well he already knew her after just one day. He only knew that he did and he didn't plan on wasting any time. Not with her. _Never with Lucy._


	9. Breakfast

Monday morning found them sleeping soundly and tangled completely in each other as they slept. Neither of them had anything to do that day. Lucy's schedule was clear until tomorrow when Dave and Celia got back from their miniature staycation-slash-honeymoon and Wyatt was on leave so for the next few months his time was his own. Lucy was the first to wake up as her phone buzzed wildly on Wyatt's nightstand.

She glanced at it with bleary eyes to see a text from Jiya and her sister asking where she was. She'd forgotten to tell them she was having dinner with Wyatt and last they'd heard she was leaving to meet Noah for drinks. Her sister seemed particularly frantic in her text so Lucy quickly typed back. " _Will call you later. I'm at Wyatt's. Sorry, I forgot to tell you. Can you let Jiya know?"_

Once that was done she scrolled through her missed calls. Two from Jiya, four from Amy, and six from-

She closed her eyes and pushed back the residual fear from yesterday. So, Noah had gotten angry. She'd expected him to be angry. She'd also expected him to call her numerous times so six calls from him yesterday shouldn't surprise her. She would freeze him out and he'd get over it. She blocked his number on her phone and then set it back down on the nightstand. Just blocking his number left her feeling slightly more relaxed.

She curled back into Wyatt, who she thought was still sleeping. His hand dove into her hair and started twisting strands around his fingers and then he turned his head and placed a kiss on the top of her head. He was definitely awake.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, just forgot to tell Amy and Jiya where I was," she said with a soft chuckle. "Amy seemed really worried."

"Yes, I woke up a few times to the sound of your phone nearly buzzing off the nightstand."

"Oh god, did that wake you?" Lucy asked worriedly. "I am so sorry."

"It's fine," he said dismissively. "I'm a light sleeper. I kind of have to be in my line of work."

"I'm sure," Lucy said with a soft smile. He gave her a hesitant look, as if he had something he needed to say but didn't really want to say. "What is it?" She asked as she brought a gentle hand to his furrowed brow and traced the concerned lines on his face. "You look worried."

His face relaxed at her light touch and his arms tightened around her. "I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into with me. I'm here for a while now but that won't always be the case. My orders are never the same. Some missions are short and some are more long term. I could be gone for a while. Not only that but during the missions I can't really talk about them so--"

"Wyatt, I know," Lucy said as she interrupted him with a soft voice. "I've had a front row seat to Celia and Dave all this time. Not only that, but I travel for my job too. We tour in the summer and the winter for three months at a time. I'm not saying that's the same but it does mean I'm no stranger to long distance."

"I just don't want you resenting me for it later," he said with a sigh as he pressed his lips to the side of her head.

"I am not under the impression that this will be easy," she admitted. "I know it won't be, but I understand that what you do is a part of who you are. I would never resent you for being true to that. If anything I admire you even more for it." She turned in his arms so she was facing him and met his eyes. "I know what it's like to have people in your life who resent you for not being what they wish you were. That will never be me. I want you to make the choices that are best for you and as long as you do that then I'm more than willing to deal with whatever comes with those choices."

She didn't miss the fact that her words echoed Celia's from before the wedding. At that moment in time she'd been in awe of her friend but now she understood. Or partially understood. She wasn't quite sure her feelings for Wyatt had reached the depths of Celia's for Dave but she had a pretty good feeling she'd eventually get there.

Sometime last night she'd decided not to question anything with Wyatt anymore. It didn't matter why she felt a connection to him or why she felt so strongly about him so fast. All that mattered was that they were together and enjoying it. It had been a crazy two days but it was finally just the two of them, with no obstacles between them.

No clothing either, for that matter.

Vulnerable didn't even begin to describe how she felt around him. He saw through her. But her vulnerability didn't make her weak. He seemed to make her strong. Or strong _er_ , at least. His eyes roamed over her face with a look that was awed and relieved before he leaned forward and kissed her.

He was really too good at this kissing thing. She could feel the shift coming where they'd move from kissing to being tangled up all over again, but her stomach chose that moment to growl gracelessly.

Wyatt laughed against her lips and pulled away with a smirk. "Okay, I get the hint," he told her. "Food first."

"Sorry," She said with a laugh.

"Not to worry, ma'am," he said with a wink. "We've got the whole day. We'll end up back here at some point I'm sure." He kissed her forehead and then sat up to pull on his boxers and white undershirt. "You go ahead and shower," he told her. "I'll start breakfast."

"And coffee?"

He chuckled and nodded. "And coffee."

"I like this plan," Lucy said with a bright smile. "But I am going to need to borrow some clothes."

He nodded and crossed the room to his chest of drawers. He pulled out sweatpants and a pullover hoodie and set them on the foot of the bed. He picked up whatever of her clothes and his had made it into his room last night and then pointed to his hallway. "I will throw these in the wash for you too."

Okay, seriously, what had Jessica been thinking when she let him go? His job was difficult to deal with, she had no doubt, but wasn't it worth it for even a few moments with the considerate man standing in front of her? He was letting her shower first? He was cooking for her? He was washing her clothes?

"How are you even real, Wyatt Logan?" Lucy asked him with a smirk.

"I could ask you the same question, Lucy Preston," he told her with a grin. "You seem a bit too good to be true."

This whole situation seemed to good to be true, if she were honest. He left the room to start breakfast and she headed to his bathroom for a shower. As she showered she spotted a patch of black and blue on her upper arm. Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember where the bruise had come from. A flash of Noah's angry eyes was all the reminder she needed. He'd grabbed her arm firm enough to leave a bruise. She tore her eyes away from it and pushed down the fear that threatened to resurface.

He was gone. She'd ended it. She finished her shower quickly and dressed. The pants were big but luckily they had a drawstring and if she tied it as tight as she could the pants would stay up. The hoodie was big too but she didn't mind that so much. It smelled like Wyatt and left her feeling cozy and comforted. It kept all thoughts of Noah at bay.

* * *

While Lucy showered and changed, Wyatt took the moment to browse Facebook. He went directly to Lucy's page and looked through her friends till he found Noah. The guy's profile picture was of him and Lucy. He was easy to spot. Pictures of her were all over his page and each picture had a caption that was so eloquent and full of utter bullshit that Wyatt thought he might vomit. He could see how Lucy could be taken in by this guy. On the surface he seemed stable and decent, but Wyatt had met guys like him before. He could spot a fake when he saw one. Noah was a fake. Noah's profile still listed him as being "in a relationship" with Lucy. Wyatt changed to Lucy's profile and found she'd already removed relationship status from her profile completely.

Maybe Noah didn't seem dangerous but there was something about him that felt off. Not only that but he'd managed to scare Lucy yesterday. Wyatt still wondered exactly what Noah did to spook Lucy.

The image of a bruise on her arm suddenly appeared in his mind. He remembered spotting it briefly the night before. He'd made a mental note to ask her about it. It had looked to be about the size and shape of a hand. He was smart enough to put two and two together.

Could that bastard have...

Wyatt forced himself to take a deep breath and put his phone away. He was making assumptions. He was getting himself worked up. He returned his focus to breakfast. Or tried to. He kept picturing that bruise on Lucy's arm.

As a result, the toast was slightly burnt, the bacon too crispy, and the coffee too strong. He'd been distracted. He imagined the worst. So when she finally stepped into the kitchen he didn't hesitate to ask.

He took a deep breath and met Lucy's eyes. "That bruise on your arm, where did it come from?" Maybe he should have given her some sort of pleasantry first because the question sounded too angry even to his own ears.

Lucy sighed and sat down on the stool at his breakfast bar, just as she had last night. "You saw that, huh?"

"Yeah, I did, and you didn't have that bruise the night before last. I would have noticed it."

She took a deep breath and then hesitantly answered him. "Noah was upset and he grabbed me as I tried to leave. I told you, he didn't take it well."

"Goddamn it," Wyatt cursed as he all but threw the platter of bacon down and raced to Lucy's side. He was pissed and glad beyond reason that he didn't know how to find this Noah guy. He'd be on his way to teach the guy a lesson if he did. He grabbed Lucy hard enough to leave a bruise? _Son of a bitch._ "Did he do anything else? Try anything else? I knew something was wrong when you answered the phone yesterday."

One hand caressed Lucy's face as her eyes were downcast and the other turned her on the rotating bar stool so that she was facing him. He could tell she didn't want to look up at him. Was she embarrassed? Had something else happened? If she would just look at him he could probably read what it was on her face.

"Lucy?" He asked again.

"I asked him what the hell was wrong with him and he let go," she answered softly. "He didn't try anything else and he didn't follow me when I left. I'm fine. It's just a bruise."

The why wouldn't she look at him? No, it was more than that. At least to her. "It's not just a bruise. Physical wounds aren't strictly limited to being physical. I should know. I'd understand if you felt afraid, Lucy. That doesn't make you weak."

She met his eyes after that with an unconvincing smile. "I'm fine, really. Or I will be. Yes, it scared me but he's gone now. It's over."

She didn't seem so sure about that and, honestly, neither was he.

"I need you to promise me something," Wyatt said as he locked gazes with her.

"What?" She asked.

"If he shows up again, call me," Wyatt told her with a steely glare.

"Wyatt," she said with a scoff. "I don't need protecting."

"I'm not saying you do," he told her. Though, he planned to do just that if the situation called for it. He willed himself to unclench his fists and calm down as he continued. "I'm saying, we'll both feel better if you call me. So, call me. I'm not trying to play knight in shining armor, Luce, but if you're scared then I want to be there for you. I want to help. That doesn't mean I beat the guy to a bloody pulp, though that is tempting. That means I'm there for whatever you need. Honest, that's all I want."

She gave him a long skeptical glance before finally smiling softly at him and nodding. "Okay, I'll call you."

"Thank you," he said with a warm smile. He kissed her slowly before pulling away from her to get back to breakfast. "How do you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled."

And just like that the morning moved on. Later, Wyatt would call a private investigator buddy of his to start doing background on Noah, but for now he was packing the danger away. He'd worry about Dr. Douchebag tomorrow. He had Lucy all to himself and he was going to enjoy it.

* * *

Having only known Wyatt for two days, she'd yet to see him angry but that changed when he asked about the bruise. She'd suspected he was a hothead given what she already knew about his recklessness but now she had confirmation. He'd reined it in but she'd seen it. His instinct had been to hurt Noah for hurting her, but he hadn't acted on it. She'd assumed that he'd launch into being overprotective after she'd told him about Noah, but to her surprise he didn't. He made her promise to tell him if Noah showed up but it didn't sound as if he doubted her ability to take care of herself. It sounded as if he just wanted to be her support, her back up.

That easily could have gone the other way and left her feeling more like an object than a person. She was once again amazed that Wyatt Logan even existed. He was flawed, she knew that. So was she. But he was caring and considerate and never once had he condescended to her. That was a combination that was hard to find. She'd looked.

He let the subject of Noah drop and she was immensely relieved. She didn't want her _ex_ -boyfriend hovering over them today. Not when they both had the whole day free to spend it however they saw fit.


	10. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second longest chapter I've written for this story so far. It's a doozy. For me, for you, for the characters. For everybody.  
> In case you're curious, this is an alternate timeline for season one where Lucy and Wyatt were never a part of the Time Team but, in my head, the episodes are still happening without them. When we first met Rufus, that was right after this timeline's version of Stranded. So, this story right now is probably taking place just before Bam-Bam, Luke, and Rufus travel to 1969. Which is why you might see Lucy make some history reference that reflect the new history instead of the original history. ;) Not sure why I decided to tell you guys this cause it's not really important but I thought someone out there might be interested, lol. Anyway...  
> Hopefully you like it!  
> Happy reading!  
> angellwings

Wyatt's prediction of them ending up back in his bed had proved extremely accurate. Not that she'd ever doubted it. They only ever left to eat. The last two days had been a whirlwind but despite it only having been two days she felt like she already knew Wyatt very well. He'd been guarded at first but the more he invested in whatever this was they had the more he revealed. He'd pulled out his grandpa's photos for her to look at while he cooked dinner and she reverently flipped through every page. The book started with a young Grandpa Sherwin and followed him all the way through to a Wyatt who had to be at least in his late twenties.

Wyatt wasn't lying, the resemblance between himself and his Grandfather as a young man was remarkable. She wished the photos were in color because she had a feeling both men shared the same color eyes. The further she flipped, the more she learned, and Wyatt never once acted as if he were concerned about what she might see. He mentioned understanding what it was like to have a parent abandon you and she was finding evidence of that in this album. His Grandpa had a photos of newborn Wyatt with both parents. His mother looked enchanting and kind, but his father looked completely disinterested in his son.

Seeing photographic evidence of it was shocking. She'd known. He'd told her, but seeing it in photos made it real. She'd had a father who was present in her life and a mother who cared, arguably too much, while Wyatt only had one of those things. By the time Wyatt was ten years old neither parent was found in any of the photos. The father she could assume left, but his mother...

She'd been in so many photos just a couple of pages ago and each time she looked at Wyatt like he was the most amazing child in the world. Why would she suddenly disappear?

A throat cleared behind her and she turned to find Wyatt standing over her, looking at the photos. "She died when I was young. Pancreatic Cancer."

She grabbed his hand and tugged him down to the couch next to her. "I'm so sorry, Wyatt."

"It was a long time ago," he told her. He flipped back a few pages and then ran a finger over one of the photos of his mother and smiled softly. "She was the best mom, though. Always made time for me, even when she was at her sickest. She was so strong. She never let anyone tell her who to be, and believe me people tried. She was very headstrong." He turned to Lucy with a smirk before he continued, "And _bossy_. Kinda reminds me of someone else I know."

She blushed and laughed. "She sounds wonderful."

"She was," he said with a soft sigh and a warm smile.

Lucy flipped toward the back of the book and pointed to a school portrait from Wyatt's high school days. He was clearly a jock, with his letterman jacket, and spiked hair. She chuckled at the frosted tips in his hair and smirked at him. "You look like you belong in a boyband."

"That was cool back then!" He said defensively. "I looked good!"

She laughed and shook her head. "I'm sure you thought so."

"Anyone ever tell you how annoying you are?" He asked teasingly.

"Yes, but generally I ignore them. It's only because I'm usually right," Lucy told him as she allowed herself to lean into him. He brought his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

"We're adding know-it-all to the bossy descriptor from now on," he told her with a soft laugh.

"That's good," she agreed. "Because I do know quite a lot of things."

"Yeah? Like what?" He asked with a smirk.

"Like that John Wilkes Booth's brother was the most famous actor in America."

"The guy who plotted the Lincoln assassination? His brother was the most famous actor in America?" He asked in disbelief.

"Go ahead, look it up," she told him confidently. "I'm right."

He held up one hand in surrender. "I believe you."

"You know, Bonnie and Clyde?"

Obviously, one fact wasn't enough proof.

"The bank robbers, yeah."

"Bonnie was actually married to someone else when she met Clyde," Lucy told him with a smirk. "They fell in love anyway." She'd always admired the romance of their story even if they were murders and thieves.

"And then they went out together too. How romantic," Wyatt said with a roll of his eyes.

"Al Capone had a brother who was a Prohibition Agent," she continued when her Bonnie and Clyde fact didn't impress him.

"Seriously?" Wyatt asked with an intrigued expression.

"He changed his name to keep Capone from finding him. He didn't want any part of the 'family business'," she said with a nod. "See? I know an above average amount of things."

"Yes, you've proved that you're a nerd," Wyatt said with a laugh as he kissed her temple. "And you've officially earned the title of know-it-all."

She lightly elbowed him in the stomach and glared at him playfully. "Hey, better a nerd than a jock."

"I'm not just a jock. I know things too," he told her. "Four languages, in fact."

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "Four of them?"

She had a barely working knowledge of French forced on her by her mother, but that was the extent of language skills.

He reached a gentle hand up and her chin to push her gaping mouth closed. "Don't look so surprised," he said with a chuckle. "The Army drops us in to other places besides Palo Alto."

"What languages?" She asked with a sheepish smile. He was right. She'd underestimated him a little bit.

"German, Farsi, Japanese, Russian," he listed quickly.

Why did she find him so much more attractive? He'd been attractive before but the idea of him speaking any of those languages made something in her flutter slightly. "I told you. You keep impressing me. Those all sound very difficult. I mean I can barely speak French. I can't imagine being able to speak four languages other than your own."

"I've got a bit of an ear for languages," he said with a bashful grin.

"Obviously," she said with an amazed chuckle. "And you called _me_ a know-it-all."

"The difference is," he said as he turned toward her and leaned into her space. "I don't go around bragging about what I know. You see how that works?"

She laughed at his teasing and playfully tried to push him away as he leaned her back against the armrest of his couch. "Jerk," she said with a grin and a roll of her eyes. Clearly, her insult held no real bite.

"Bossy know-it-all," he replied with a smirk as he brought one hand to the back of her neck and the other wrapped around her middle. He leaned further into her space and in the next moment his lips were on hers she laughed against his kiss before returning it. Everything with Wyatt felt so easy and so right. Yes, they were moving fast but maybe they were supposed to. Maybe some relationship just weren't meant to progress slowly.

Maybe she liked their breakneck pace.

Besides, she was having too much fun to really care. It had been a long time since she'd been in a relationship that was truly _fun_.

The timer he'd set in the kitchen went off a few minutes later and they reluctantly removed themselves from his couch to have dinner at the kitchen table. Casual touches were increasing, she noticed. The more comfortable they were, the more they touched. She didn't mind one bit.

After dinner, she had to go home. She would have loved to stay another night. Honestly, she would. But the band had an early demo session tomorrow for a songwriter friend of theirs and she could not be late. She needed to sleep in her own bed without Wyatt to distract her. He gave her a ride and walked her up to her apartment door. She'd noticed he'd stiffened slightly when they stepped out of his Jeep and onto the street. But when she'd asked he'd told her it was nothing.

Before she could reach out to unlock her door, he'd pressed her against the wall next to it and kissed her soundly. So soundly that she practically melted against him. His hand was on the back of her neck again, that seemed to be his go to spot. Not that she minded at all. His other arm was wrapped around her waist and pressed her flush against him. One of her hands held the side of his face and she ran her other hand through his hair. He always kissed her like he couldn't bear to let her go. Every kiss they'd shared since the bar the previous night had left her feeling like he was leaving it all on the line for her. She sincerely hoped that never changed.

She forced herself to pull back from him, even though all she really wanted was to drag him inside and have her way with him, and grinned at his flushed face. She was certain she looked much the same. "I really should go," she told him reluctantly.

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "I know. Dinner tomorrow?" He asked.

She nodded. "Absolutely. We're done at five."

"And the plans for the day after that?" he asked eagerly.

She knew exactly what he was getting at. "We have a gig at a bar downtown, but our call time isn't until five in the afternoon."

"Perfect," he said with a smirk. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven?"

She nodded. "That should be plenty of time for me to get home and get ready, yes."

He kissed her cheek quickly and then pulled away from her. "It's a date."

"It most certainly is," She agreed with a flirtatious grin. "See you tomorrow night, Master Sergeant."

His eyes flashed with something dark for a moment before he grinned flirtatiously at her. "Yeah, you can't do that."

"What?" She asked cluelessly. "Call you by your rank?"

"Yes, because I'm trying to leave and hearing you call me by my rank just makes me want to kiss you again," he warned her with half of a smirk. "I'm this close to having you pressed against that wall one more time."

She bit her bottom lip and then smiled slyly at him. "Right. Noted and filed. That seems like it could be very useful tomorrow night."

He groaned and shook his head. "Yeah, okay, I'm walking away now. You actually need to sleep tonight and I am one more flirt away from saying to hell with it and keeping you up all night anyway."

That didn't sound so bad, honestly. She thought about telling him that, giving him permission to do just that, but then remembered the time she had to set her alarm for in the morning and thought better of it. Instead she smiled softly and gave him a small wave. She was very careful to keep her distance. "Goodnight, Wyatt."

"Goodnight, Luce," he said with a warm smile just before he turned and walked back toward the stairs. He'd called her that earlier in the day too and she'd barely noticed. The fact that he felt close enough to her to shorten her name gave her a small unreasonable thrill. It was just a nickname but it implied a level of intimacy that she liked.

She turned and let herself into the apartment. This long weekend had turned out far better than she ever could have imagined.

* * *

The next day Wyatt went to the store. He wasn't cooking dinner tonight but he did plan to bring Lucy home with him afterward. Having a bottle of wine for her in his fridge wouldn't be the worst idea. The two times they'd had drinks, once at the wedding and once after, she'd ordered white wine so he figured that's where he'd start.

He was trying to decide what brand of white wine to go with when that prickling feeling at the back of his neck returned. He sensed someone walking toward him long before he caught sight of them in his peripherals. The moment he did, he knew who it was. He was tall, lean, slightly unshaven, and dressed too well. _Dr. Douchebag_.

"You must be Wyatt Logan," Noah said as he reached out and took a bottle of white wine from the shelf. He extended it out toward Wyatt. "This one is her favorite."

Wyatt's hands clenched at his sides. What the hell did this guy want? What was he doing here? As far as he knew, Lucy hadn't told Noah she was seeing anyone else. Wyatt felt the sudden urge to go find Lucy and hide her away from the world. Something was very wrong here. Wyatt chose not to speak or acknowledge the man standing next to him. Mostly, for fear he'd haul off and start a brawl with Noah in the wine section of the grocery store. He knew himself and he knew his temper. Best to just try to walk away. He grabbed the first bottle of white wine off the shelf he could reach and headed toward the register.

Noah sighed tiredly and chuckled but followed a moment later. "I know how captivating Lucy can be, Master Sergeant. How hard that can be to resist."

Geez, could this idiot not take a hint?

"But I think it's best, for the well being of everyone involved, that you keep your distance from her," Noah warned. His tone didn't sound violent, but Wyatt knew a threat when he heard one.

"Or you'll what?" Wyatt asked with a smirk. "Kill me? I'd really like to see you try." The asshat probably had no idea how to actually fight. He'd be easy to take down. Not that a guy like Noah would ever bother getting his hands truly dirty.

Noah rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous." Wyatt smirked a little wider at that. He called it. But the smirk quickly fell away as Noah continued. "There are things about Lucy that you don't know," Noah told him. "Things that only certain people will be able to help her understand. I'm sure you care about her but the life she's destined to have is best spent with me. I'm just trying to save you a bit of pain and heartbreak. From what I hear you've been through enough of that for one lifetime."

Wyatt turned to face him now. Because how the hell did Noah know all of this? He knew his name, his rank, and he was implying he knew about Jessica. Where did he get his intel and why did all of this make him afraid for Lucy's safety? "What the hell are you talking about? Do you even know? You realize you sound insane, right?"

He grinned and shrugged. "I don't expect you to understand. I just thought I'd help you and Lucy come to the right decision. I expect Lucy will see sense on her own eventually, but I've been patient with her for longer than you know and I'm tired of waiting for 'eventually.' So I'm trying to push things along."

"I have no idea what we're talking about," Wyatt said with a dark chuckle. He did not like this conversation one bit but no way in hell was he going to let Noah in on that fact. "But if you think anyone can make a decision _for_ Lucy you're mistaken. She has her own mind and her own will. She decides what life she leads and who she includes in that life." He grinned slowly and vindictively at Noah before he continued. "And she decided you didn't deserve to be a part of it. That's life, Nick. _Deal with it_."

"My name is Noah," he said through a clenched jaw. Oh good, his plan to piss the guy off was finally working.

Wyatt let out a short laugh and shook his head. "I really don't give a shit." Honestly, he didn't.

"Fine, but for the record, I tried. I tried to warn you," Noah said with a huff.

"I'm not going anywhere as long as Lucy wants me around. Unlike you, _Doc,_ I respect her decisions," Wyatt told him with a defiant glare.

"They told me this would be pointless," Noah muttered angrily. "But I thought, wrongly apparently, that _you_ might listen."

"Who's they? The voices in your head? You're crazy," Wyatt said with a scoff. He was feigning being dismissive but he was committing every word to memory. His nerves were on high alert.

His anger fell away and Noah suddenly looked amused. Wyatt schooled his expression carefully so as not to show how utterly terrifying that sudden change in emotion actually was. Noah quirked a brow at Wyatt and smirked. It gave Wyatt the distinct impression that Noah knew something he didn't. Something that could not mean anything good for Lucy.

"It was nice to meet you, Wyatt. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon."

"You'd better hope not," Wyatt told him with a heated glare. "This is me on my best behavior. If I see you show up around myself or Lucy again I might forget my manners."

"Promises, promises," Noah said with a laugh as he turned and headed for the exit.

It was official, he hated that guy.

And Lucy might be in serious danger. He paid for the wine quickly and then called his private investigator friend as he drove. Lucy might hate him for prying or being over protective or whatever the hell she thought was condescending and macho, but that wasn't what this was. Lucy was being watched. That was the only explanation and whoever was watching her was affiliated with Noah. He needed surveillance on Noah to assess the threat. It was the best way to keep her safe.

His nerves were on edge and he felt the overwhelming urge to glue himself to Lucy's side. He called Bam-Bam once he was off the phone with his private investigator.

"Baumgardner," he answered automatically.

"Celia and the band are recording today, right?" He asked without preamble.

"Uh, hey, man. Good to hear from you too. Is everything okay?"

"It will be, I think. The band is recording today, right?" He asked again.

"Yeah," Bam-Bam answered in a confused tone.

"Where?" He asked urgently.

"Okay, you're using your combat voice, dude. What's going on?"

"I need to talk to Lucy," he answered. He was being purposefully vague and Bam-Bam knew it. "Where are they recording?"

He sounded concerned and suspicious as he gave Wyatt the address and then followed it with, "Wyatt, you'd ask if you needed back up, right?"

"It's nothing I can't handle, Bam-Bam," he said confidently.

"Alright," he replied with a sigh. "If you say so."

They ended the call and Wyatt sped toward the location he'd been given. He spotted Lucy's car outside the building and parked next to it. He did a sweep up and down the block and through the neighboring buildings before finally going inside. Everything seemed clear and secure. It took him several minutes to find the right studio. He could have found them faster but going slowly allowed him to clear each room on the the way.

It struck him then just how deeply he'd let that asshole, Noah, get under his skin. The guy was probably messing with him. But for some reason he couldn't escape the dread and danger pooling in his gut. Something was wrong. He just wished he knew _what_ was wrong.

When he finally opened the correct studio door he breathed a sigh of relief. Lucy was fine. _She was fine_. Her eyes found his from inside the recording booth with a curious smile on her face. She waved and he took a deep calming breath before he returned it.

What the hell was he planning to do once he was here? He hadn't thought that far ahead. He just knew he needed visual confirmation that Lucy was whole and safe.

 _Holy hell_ , what was wrong with him? He shouldn't be here. Whatever Noah was up to, he wouldn't have acted on it right then. Not immediately after alerting Wyatt to the threat. He knew that. He was trained to analyze these kind of situations every day, but this was different. This was someone he cared about. This was Lucy.

He'd barely known her three days and he felt like every part of him was already hers. He knew his panic was a result of his attachment and it floored him to realize how completely she owned him already. He'd sped across town, ignoring stop lights and stop signs and breaking multiple traffic laws, just to make sure she was safe. _Shit._ He was definitely in love with her. It seemed impossible that three days could see so much change in him, but he _knew_ that's what had happened.

He'd never seen her coming so he had no way to defend against her. She'd marched right into his heart and taken up residence there without him even noticing. _Shit_.

She exited the booth and eagerly walked toward him. "Hi, what are you doing here?"

Was now the right time to tell her that her ex-boyfriend was possibly stalking her? He knew he had to tell her but did he have to tell her right now? He debated telling her he just wanted to watch her work but then Noah's smug face appeared and he remembered why Lucy ended it with that asshole. He hid something important from her.

Wyatt was determined not to make Noah's mistakes.

"We need to talk," he told her with a nervous gulp. "In private."

Her brow furrowed but she nodded and then turned to Celia. "I'm gonna need a few minutes."

Celia smirked at them before she answered, "Yeah, I figured that. There's an empty conference room next door."

"Thanks," Lucy told her as she grabbed his hand and led him out the studio door toward the conference room. He already knew that room was secure. He cleared it on the way in.

The reminder of Noah and Wyatt's moment of panic nearly caused him to groan miserably but he clenched his jaw and held the pathetic noise at bay. She was going to hate what he was about to tell her.

* * *

Wyatt looked awful. Well, okay he looked gorgeous but tense. His posture was stiff, his eyes were frantic, and his brow seemed permanently furrowed. What the hell had happened? He was fine last night. She closed the conference door behind them and then immediately asked the one question she kept asking herself over and over again.

"What's wrong?"

"Sorry to just barge in like this, I-I probably should have just called you, but--I called Dave to find out where you were. I hope that's okay."

She couldn't care less how he tracked her down or that he appeared out of nowhere. Her only concern was why he looked so shaken. He sounded nervous and worried. Two things she'd yet to see on him simultaneously. She brought her hands to his face and forced him to look her in the eyes. "Wyatt, what's wrong?"

The nerves and doubt and worry vanished from his face at her touch. As if she were bringing him back down to earth. "When you last spoke with Noah, did you tell him about me?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "I didn't need to. You were only a small percentage of why I ended things with him. Why?"

"I just ran into him at my neighborhood grocery store. He knew my name, he knew you were seeing me, he knew my rank, and he freakin' knew about my ex-wife."

She froze and she felt her entire body run cold. How? Why? For a split second the idea that she should doubt Wyatt's story crossed her mind but then she remembered him telling her that he wanted to prove to her he wasn't Noah. That he wouldn't lie to her. And why would he lie about this? There was no motive. She's already dumped Noah. Wyatt had her all to himself. He knew that.

No, he was telling her the truth. She knew he was.

And the truth was terrifying.

"What?" She asked with a shake of her head. "Did he do anything?"

"No, he just talked. A lot. I hate that guy."

Despite the situation she felt the corners of her mouth tug upward. "Imagine my surprise."

Under her hands she could feel the tension in his jaw release slightly as he smirked at her.

She moved her hands from his face to his shoulders. "What did he say?"

"The gist of it, was that I should stay away from you."

"Or what?" She asked with a roll of her eyes. "What is he going to do?"

Wyatt gave her a lopsided grin. Something about her reaction had amused him. She wasn't sure what or why. "He was never very clear about that," Wyatt replied. "He said something insane about you being destined for some other life with him and that eventually you'd see reason? I barely followed along because it was straight up batshit crazy."

"How did I ever date him?"

Wyatt scoffed and smirked at her. "I'm afraid I can't offer any insight. I'm pretty confused by it myself." For a brief moment he looked playful and smug but that was quickly replaced with a concerned gaze. "Lucy, you know what this means, don't you? He knew about us, he knew about my career, my past...the only way he could know all of that is if--"

The realization hit her so hard and fast that she felt a bit out of breath. "He's watching me?"

"Or he's hired someone else to watch you."

She felt sick. Her vision tilted and her hands started shaking. That explained why she felt like she had eyes on her all the time now. It made sense in some twisted way. Noah was having her watched. She wasn't paranoid or crazy. _He_ was _._ She felt unbalanced on her feet and Wyatt must have noticed because his arms that had been glued to his sides while he was so tense were now wrapped around her. Steadying her as her world upended itself.

Wyatt wordlessly guided her to one of the chairs around the conference room table and sat down across from her.

"Lucy?" He asked worriedly.

She swallowed thickly with closed eyes before taking a long deep breath. She would not panic. Not now. "Wh-what do we do? Do we go to the police?"

"With what evidence?" Wyatt asked with a shake of his head. "My word against his? That won't be enough."

"So, then what am I supposed to do with this information? Lock myself in my apartment and never come out? Cause that's sounding more and more appealing," she said before she buried her face in her hands.

"You're not hiding. Not from him. Besides, it didn't sound like he wanted to hurt you," Wyatt assured her as he pulled her hands away from her face and held them in his. "He didn't threaten you."

"No, but he did threaten you, didn't he?" Lucy asked knowingly.

"If he wants to come after me, let him. I can handle it," Wyatt said with a scoff.

"Wyatt," Lucy said in a disapproving tone. "No. I'm not letting him hurt you because of _me_. That's not happening. There has to be something we can do."

"There is and I've already done it," he told her as he squeezed her hands. "I called a friend of mine who's a private investigator. He's going to tail Noah and see what he can dig up. We can go to the cops once we have evidence. It'll be okay, Lucy." He was eerily calm for how tense he'd been just moments ago. Was his sense of calm for her benefit?

"So, for the time being I just have to live with it?" She asked angrily. "I have let him watch me? That's what you're saying?" Her anger faded and the panic was back. She knew by now the color had to have drained from her face. "God, can we just go back to yesterday? Where it was you and me in your apartment and everything was about as perfect as it could be? Can we?"

"Yeah, actually," he said with a hesitant smirk. "We kinda can. He's not watching _me_. You could stay at my place."

"What?" She asked. He's said it so casually, as if it wasn't at all odd to have someone stay with you that you'd barely known for three days.

"If you don't feel safe at Jiya's anymore then you can stay with me, Lucy. I'm not letting anything happen to you and I don't want you living in fear. You can even take the bed," he told her with a bashful grin.

She chuckled at that. "Seriously? I think I've already given you permission for bed sharing. We can both take the bed."

He smirked and nodded. "Whatever you say, ma'am. Is that a yes?"

She nodded and then gave him a thankful look. "Yes, I think I would feel much better about all of this if I were with you."

"Then it's settled," he told her with a decisive nod. "You're staying with me."


	11. Voicemail

Lucy had asked Wyatt to hang around the studio once they'd discussed Noah until their brains and their conversations were running in circles. Lucy looked frazzled and Wyatt knew constant focus on the issue wasn't going to help. So, he closed that door for now. She'd revealed that Noah had tried to call her several times the morning after she ended it and that she'd blocked his number from her phone. That was a good decision, Wyatt thought. She couldn't have said anything to Noah that would have prevented this.

Once Lucy got back to work, her nerves calmed. The change in focus did her good. Celia noticed something was off, though. Wyatt could tell. She sat down next to him in the back of the studio and gave him a curious look.

"Who's hurting my friend, Wyatt? She looks like she's seen a ghost," Celia asked sternly.

"I'm taking care of it," Wyatt answered.

Celia grinned slowly at him. "Taking care of _it_ or taking care of _her_?"

"Both," he said without an ounce of hesitation.

"Good answer," Celia told him with a nod. "Anything I need to know about?"

"Not yet. Just...watch her six, okay? If you're out with her at a show or something, be careful," he told her. "And call me if you need to."

Celia looked a bit startled at that but nodded. "I'm extremely curious, but I won't ask. I'll keep an eye on her. I promise."

"Thank you," Wyatt told her with a small smile. "For a lot of things."

She smirked and leaned back against the couch with a proud swagger. "You mean for setting up this dynamo pair?" She asked as she pointed between him and Lucy, as she recorded her vocals in the booth. "It was my pleasure. Just don't screw it up, okay?"

"I'll try my damndest not to," he told her honestly. He was in far too deep for that.

* * *

Lucy's phone vibrated in her pocket. She didn't dare look at it from inside the booth. But she was dying to know who it was. She'd blocked Noah. It couldn't be him. But some irrational part of her was afraid he'd get around that. It wouldn't be difficult to do. She also thought it was probably Amy. They'd only briefly texted since Sunday's brunch. She wanted to talk to her sister very badly. At least about Wyatt. Maybe not Noah. Because so much had happened since brunch on Sunday and Amy didn't know any of it. Jiya knew some of it. So did Celia. But she hadn't told Amy yet.

Once they settled on an acceptable take, Lucy was dismissed from the booth and as soon as she was her phone came out of her pocket.

She had two missed calls.

She stopped mid stride in the doorway of the booth causing Celia to bump into her as they passed each other.

"Okay, you're clumsy but you're not that clumsy," Celia said with a chuckle. The chuckle died on Celia's lips as soon as Lucy looked up at her. "Shit," Celia said with a furrowed brow. "You've got that ghost look again. What happened?"

Lucy turned her screen so Celia could see the name displayed in her missed calls.

"What the hell?" Celia asked with an angry glare. "All you get from your mom for years is a yearly guilt trip in the form of a birthday card and _now_ she decides to call you? I'm sorry, no. Just no."

"She left a voicemail."

"Lucy Preston don't you dare play that voicemail," Celia said in a stern, nearly parental, tone. "Delete it right now."

Lucy sighed and gave her friend a tired look. "I can listen to one voicemail from my mother without falling to pieces, Cely. Besides, what if it's about Amy? I haven't heard from her since Sunday night."

"Fine, but just remember, despite the fact that she's your mother you owe her nothing. Okay? You deserve to have the power in deciding where your life goes. Only you. Not her," Celia reminded her. "Got it?"

Lucy smiled kindly at Celia and nodded. "Got it."

"By the way," Celia said as she briefly nodded her head toward Wyatt. "Master Sergeant Hunky, over there, is totally gone over you. Just so you know."

Lucy blushed and smiled bashfully. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Positive," Celia told her with a nod. "Trust me."

Celia went into the booth and Lucy headed over to the couch where Wyatt had settled and then sat down next to him.

"You okay?" He asked as she continued to stare at her phone apprehensively.

"Yeah, I think so," Lucy said with a sigh. "I don't know." She paused and took a deep breath to shore up her nerves as she stared at the voicemail. All she had to do was tap the screen and it would play. She would hear her mother's voice for the first time in years. "My mother called, she left a voicemail. I'm pretty sure it's about Noah."

She'd told Celia she thought it might be about Amy and it could have been. But really she firmly believed it was about Noah. Clearly, her mother had an interest in that relationship. There was no other reason for Carol Preston to call her estranged daughter.

Wyatt took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Do you _want_ to listen to it? You don't have to. You can just delete it."

"If it is what I think it is then I'm not going to be affected by it," Lucy said with a shrug. "And my assumption is pretty much the worst thing she could say. So, it can't really hurt anything to listen and if it's not what I think it is then I'll be pleasantly surprised. If I don't listen to it then I won't know either way, and I feel like I need to know."

Wyatt nodded and squeezed her hand again. "Then okay. Do you want to step out?"

"No," Lucy told him. "Everyone here knows about my past with her. The people in this studio are all people I trust. It'll be fine."

He gave her a small grateful smile and she realized that she'd inadvertently revealed she trusted him. She knew she did but she'd yet to say those words to him. Until now. She chose not to say anything further. She didn't need to, not really. He released her hand and put his arm around her instead, drawing her closer to him on the couch.

"I'm here if you need me," he said with a warm smile that lit up his whole face, even his ridiculous blue eyes that never failed to reassure her.

She nodded and then, borrowing some strength from his presence, pressed play and brought the phone to her ear.

"Lucy, this is your mother," Carol said in a soft and patient voice. Lucy knew that tone well. It meant she was anything BUT soft and patient. She rolled her eyes at her mother but continued to listen. "You shouldn't punish Noah for merely knowing me. Do you really despise me that much? Is it such a crime that I wanted you to follow in my footsteps? That I believed you could find fulfillment in the future I envisioned for you? You enjoy history so much. I know you do. You don't read biographies at the speed you always did without a hunger for knowledge. I merely wanted you to put that to use. I wanted to work with you side by side and I'd hoped that we could change the world." Lucy sighed tiredly. She'd heard this speech before but it was usually written in a birthday card. It was old news. "Noah is the perfect partner for that, sweetheart, and he cares about you. He can motivate you and expand your ambitions. He can help you achieve great things. He's loyal and, did I mention, forgiving? Please reconsider." Carol paused and, Lucy swore, her voice took on a much darker edge when she continued with, "You'll regret it if you don't."

Lucy's grip on her phone tightened as the voicemail ended and she stared straight ahead for several moments. She had never heard her mother sound like that. She sounded frustrated, angry, _dangerous_. It had to be her worries about Noah filtering Carol's tone. She wasn't hearing it accurately. She couldn't be.

She turned to Wyatt and handed him her phone. "I need an objective opinion. You don't know my mother. Do you mind listening to it?"

His brow furrowed at her as he took the phone from her hands. "Of course I don't mind, but...are you sure?"

She nodded and then watched him carefully as he listened. She nearly chuckled as Wyatt rolled his eyes much as she did hers during Carol's "future I envisioned for you" speech. Not that she needed validation, but the fact that Carol's words affected him the same as they affected her was a comfort. She could tell when the voicemail got to Carol's opinion of Noah because Wyatt scoffed and shook his head as if he didn't buy a word of it. She knew too when he'd heard her mother's last words because he tensed as he sat next to her. Every muscle went rigid. It was impossible not to notice.

"Did she just... _threaten_ you?" Wyatt asked Lucy in shock. "I know a threat when I hear one usually but this is _your mother_. So I normally wouldn't think I'd even have to ask."

"So, it sounded a bit frightening to you too, then? I was hoping I was imagining it," Lucy said as she bit her bottom lip thoughtfully.

He shook his head and handed her back her phone. He still looked shocked and dismayed when he answered her. "No, you didn't imagine anything. I heard it too."

"I don't know what to think about anything anymore," Lucy admitted. "I mean my mother is a piece of work, but I cannot imagine that she would actually do anything to hurt me. She probably just wants to intimidate me in the hopes she'll scare me into doing what she she wants. I could definitely see that happening. Wouldn't be the first time."

"You must be more like your father than your mother," Wyatt told her as he shook his head at her again. "Because you are nothing like that woman in that voicemail. I can't imagine you talking to anyone like that, let alone someone you supposedly care about."

"I hope I'm more like him," Lucy admitted with a fond smile. "He was all heart. Mom is too logical for that most of the time. She made me weigh the pros and cons and strategic advantages of every decision. Well, except for the ones she'd already made for me. Like Stanford. Or my major. Or, apparently, who I should date." Her tone had gone from wistful, as she talked about her father, to bitter, as she talked about her mother.

Lucy was no longer scared of her mother's vague threat. She was _pissed_. After all this time, what made her mother think she could waltz in and control her _now_? Would Carol Preston _ever_ just let her live her life?

"It's always the same with her," Lucy said through a clenched jaw. "Nothing is ever going to change."

Her whole body was tense now. She could feel anger coursing through her like it often did when she thought about her mother for too long. Initially thoughts of her mother made her sad for the relationship they'd never have, but the grieving didn't last very long and it was quickly replaced by resentment. Carol may be her mother but that didn't mean she had the right to pass judgement on the things and people that made Lucy happy. She always acted as if such a life and such people were beneath Lucy. Carol always treated all of Lucy's friends like gum stuck on the bottom of her shoe, her whole life. And now, without even having met him, she was doing the same thing to Wyatt. Not only that, but her mother had sent Noah to her. Her mother had sent someone to date her who was turning out to be a threat to not only Lucy's safety, but Wyatt's too. _Her mother_ did that. The whole situation made her furious. It wasn't fair to Wyatt. It wasn't fair to her. Honestly, it wasn't even fair to Noah. Her mother had clearly convinced the man that the two of them were destiny of some kind based on the things he'd said to Wyatt.

This whole crazy situation was her mother's fault. How could someone cause their own daughter this much stress and pain? She was so angry at the unfairness of it all that she could feel tears filling her eyes, threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. Just as she was about to lose it, she felt Wyatt's arm that had gone around her earlier slip lower until his hand was on her waist. He absently caressed her there and pulled her into a tight embrace. He'd turned himself toward her and brought his other arm around to hold her as well. As her angry tears hit her cheeks, she realized that he'd essentially pulled her onto his lap. Her legs were strewn across his to accommodate the way he'd turned toward her and, though she was still technically sitting on the couch, the majority of her body was touching his.

Her arms wrapped around his middle and she rested her head on his chest. She closed her eyes tightly, buried her face further into his shirt, and let herself cry for a long moment. She didn't question what he'd think of her if she did, didn't worry that he wouldn't want her afterward, and she didn't doubt that he _wanted_ to be there for her. She knew he did. He'd told her as much just yesterday morning.

She felt more comfortable crying in his arms then she'd ever felt before. She felt safe, valued, and cared for. She felt as though she were _enough_. With this realization came another fresh wave of anger at not just her mother, but Noah too. They really thought she was better off without Wyatt? Yes, she'd only known him a few days but she'd received more care and concern from him than _either_ of them. They wanted to scare him away, they wanted to frighten her enough to leave him. Well, that wasn't going to happen. She wouldn't let it.

Her arms tightened around Wyatt as a fiercely protective feeling grew with in her. She wouldn't let them hurt him and she certainly wasn't giving him up. They could intimidate her all they wanted but her feet were firmly planted on the ground and she wasn't budging.

Her anger and resentment gave way to confidence and determination. Her tears stopped, and she sat up enough to meet Wyatt's eyes. He looked upset on her behalf and she could almost feel him claiming another piece of her heart.

"You know how we talked about that this wouldn't be easy?" Lucy asked him as she referenced their conversation about his career.

He nodded and gave her a questioning glance.

"You were worried about me having to deal with the demands of your job, but it turns out your job isn't the only thing making this difficult," Lucy said with a dry chuckle. "You have to put up with my mother and my stalker ex-boyfriend. Are you sure _you_ don't want a chance to get out now?" Her grin was deceptively teasing, but she was very serious.

He'd given her a chance to walk away, multiple chances actually, and now it was her turn to consider him first. She was ready to stand up for her own choices and her own life and while she wanted him there she didn't want him to feel as though he had to be by her side. He needed to choose that for himself.

"I'm not going anywhere," Wyatt promised as his eyes met hers with a determined glare. "Not as long as you want me here."

"That's what I was hoping you'd say," Lucy said with a contented sigh as she rested her head on his chest once again. She didn't miss the way he'd added "as long as you want me here." He still thought she might change her mind and he was still giving her an exit strategy. He didn't believe that she could want to stick with him through difficult separations and possible stretches of army mandated radio silence. He didn't believe that she really wanted to put up with his temper and his guilt. He didn't believe it because he didn't know one very important thing.

She'd fallen in love with him.

She hadn't realized it until just now, but there it was. There _he_ was. Impossibly, it only took her three days to realize that the something she'd always known was missing in her life _was him_. Three days. They'd been going non stop and spending nearly every second together and she hadn't paid attention to how much of her heart was now irrevocably attached to his. All it took was the idea that someone out there thought they could separate them with fear and threats and intimidation for her to see the situation clearly.

She'd fallen in love with Wyatt Logan and she would gladly fight the entire world if it meant she could keep him.

She wanted to laugh because just three days ago she never would have believed this. She was a cynic when it came to romance and the idea of love happening in three days would have been preposterous to her. Stories like that only happened in fairy tales and films.

Or so she had mistakenly thought, but there was no doubt in her mind now that what she had with Wyatt was very real.

And the only question that remained for her was the question of just _how real_ all of this was for him. Did he feel what she did? Was he just as determined to keep her in his life as she was to keep him? And then there was the biggest question of all, _did she tell him_? Did she dare utter the words out loud? Was she brave enough to admit it?

Maybe. Maybe she could be.

But for right now, she wanted to sit here in his arms and _feel_. She wanted to enjoy how safe and cared for he made her feel and how stalwart she already knew him to be. She wanted to feel herself loving him for just being Wyatt. Considerate, reckless, hotheaded, thoughtful Wyatt. She wanted to marvel at the idea that she could even feel this much this quickly. She wanted one fully aware moment of love and peace.

Because, honestly, that's what Wyatt Logan was for her. _Love and peace_.


	12. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next two or three chapters are gonna be harder for me to write because I'm essentially stalling until a reasonable amount of time has passed for my next huge plot point. So, forgive me if they seem slow or maybe slightly filler. I hope y'all still enjoy it!  
> Happy reading!  
> angellwings

If the rest of Lucy's band noticed Wyatt holding her as she cried they didn't make it known. In fact it was almost as if he and Lucy weren't even in the same room as the rest of them which led him to believe that someone actually had noticed and was giving them their space. Wyatt was grateful for that because right now he was learning something new about this relationship with Lucy Preston.

Knowing she was in pain was excruciating for him. Especially when there was only so much he could do to alleviate that pain. So he settled for holding her as long as she would let him. He could feel the wet spot on his shirt and he swallowed thickly as he held onto her even tighter. Lucy didn't deserve any of this. She was a civilian minding her own fucking business and just trying to live a life that made her happy. Why would anyone, especially someone who supposedly cared about her, want to ruin that for her?

He'd never met Lucy's mother and, honestly, he hoped he never did because he would not be able to muster up any measure of civility toward her. You can't claim to love someone and then throw them into this sort of danger as carelessly as she did.

When you really loved someone, their pain was your pain. The anguish he was feeling now was further evidence that he'd already fallen for the brunette nestled against his chest. It was astonishing, but at the same time _not_. Because, honestly, the minute he'd heard her laugh she had him wrapped around her finger. Speaking of that laugh, he wished he could hear it right now instead of the sniffles and the sobs that were muffled against his shirt.

He suddenly felt her arms tighten around him and he wondered exactly what she was thinking. After a few minutes, the sniffles and sobs stopped and she pulled back from his chest to meet his eyes. Her cheeks were still wet and there were traces of mascara trailing down them. He wanted to reach out and wipe them away or maybe kiss them away? Something remarkably tender was filling him and all he knew was that those tear tracks shouldn't be there.

But her eyes didn't look sad or angry. They looked determined, fierce. Protective, maybe? It was hard to label what he saw in those warm brown eyes of hers because he'd never seen her eyes like that before. Still shiny from tears yet no longer hurt. They looked...

 _Resilient_.

That was the word he was searching for and, god, did that ever seem appropriate right now.

"You know how we talked about that this wouldn't be easy?" Lucy asked him. She was clearly referring to the conversation they had about what she might be getting herself into with him.

He nodded and wondered what that conversation had to do with this one.

She continued when he nodded. Her eyes never left his. "You were worried about me having to deal with the demands of your job, but it turns out your job isn't the only thing making this difficult," Lucy said with a dry chuckle. It sounded bitter and he felt a piece of his heart break at the sound. "You have to put up with my mother and my stalker ex-boyfriend. Are you sure _you_ don't want a chance to get out now?"

She was grinning at him as if she were kidding but the grin didn't reach her eyes. They maintained that same look he'd labeled as 'resilient' earlier so he knew she was serious. Did she really think he'd just cut and run? No. No way she was facing any of this without him. He told Noah that he was going to be a part of Lucy's life as long as she wanted him in it and he meant it. He could no longer imagine living without any of this new little world the two of them had created over the last three days. He was still in it to win it, only this time it wasn't about winning Lucy's approval. It was about helping her truly win her freedom. Because no way in hell was he letting her live her life in fear of her psychopath of an ex and her borderline abusive mother. Lucy was brave and bright and beautiful and he wouldn't let them tarnish any one of those qualities. She needed back up and he was more than willing to volunteer.

"I'm not going anywhere," Wyatt promised as his eyes met hers with a determined glare. "Not as long as you want me here." He'd never meant any words more than those. It wasn't a statement, it was a promise. He was completely hers, as long as she'd have him.

"That's what I was hoping you'd say," Lucy said with a contented sigh as she rested her head on his chest once again.

Her arms tightened around him again and she snuggled into him but he didn't hear any more crying or sniffling. He felt contentment rolling off her as he continued to rub her back absently. She either didn't care that her friends could see them cuddling on the couch or had forgotten anyone else was in the room. But she didn't bring it up so neither did he and, besides, she seemed too satisfied in his arms right now for him to be the one to burst her bubble. If she wanted to take comfort in him then he was happy to let her. It was one of the only things that he could really do _for_ her in this situation.

"Hey, Lucy," a voice said softly and hesitantly. They both looked up at the voice to find Celia smiling kindly at them. "We're done with your vocals so you could get out of here early if you want."

"Really?" Lucy asked with obvious relief. "Are you sure?"

Celia nodded. "Absolutely."

Lucy crawled out of his lap then and held her car keys out to Celia. "Can one of you guys drop my car off at Jiya's?" she asked.

Celia took the keys from her and pocketed them. "Yeah, I'll get Garth to take it by there for you later."

Lucy hugged Celia for a long moment and an exchange was whispered between the two women that Wyatt couldn't hear. But Lucy pulled back from the hug with watery eyes and a grateful smile so it must have been something supportive and poignant. Celia squeezed Lucy's shoulder and then acknowledged Wyatt with a nod and a smile. "I will see you guys later," Celia said as she turned and walked away.

Lucy took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and then turned to him with an affectionate smile. "Take me home, Wyatt."

She wasn't talking about the apartment with Jiya where she currently had a bedroom. He was certain about that. She was talking about his apartment. The simple decisive way she'd said "take me home" had more effect on him than he really wanted to admit. It wasn't said in a flirtatious or sexual way at all. It was said with warmth and calm as if the only place in the world that felt real to her was anywhere he was. Was it possible that she was feeling the same emotions he'd been feeling all day? Was she in love with him too? Something in the way she asked him to take her home with him gave him hope.

Some mysterious Power-that-Be was giving him a chance at love again it seemed. Out of the blue, he remembered Dave's words from the wedding reception and he now found himself understanding his friend better than he ever had before. It was astonishing that Lucy had come into his life at all and he wasn't going to waste it.

"Yes, ma'am," Wyatt said with a warm smile as he placed a protective hand on the small of her back and led her toward the door. "Anything you want."

The car ride to his apartment was silent. Wyatt watched vigilantly for any vehicle that might be following them. He saw none. That led to him analyzing how Noah was having Lucy watched. Wyatt had never noticed anything odd on Lucy's street or in her building. He'd looked too because every time he parked outside of her building that prickling dread returned. He visualized Lucy's block in his head and tried to remember what was close to her. He stopped visualizing when he remembered there was another apartment building across the street. With windows facing Lucy's building.

He had people in one of those apartments running surveillance on her. He had to. It would allow him to see who was coming and going, license plates on cars parked outside, and even possibly into the windows in Jiya and Lucy's apartment. It would also explain why no one ever seemed to be following them and why he only sensed a threat on her street. His hands tightened on the steering wheel and he fought the protective urge to chase this lead down right now. He couldn't. Not now. Besides he needed more information before charging in. Now is not the time to be your usual reckless self, he thought.

He glanced over at Lucy to see her checking her reflection in the passenger side visor mirror. She was wiping at her cheeks and rolling her eyes and he couldn't help but grin affectionately at the irritated look on her face. She'd managed to get rid of the mascara trails on her cheeks but her eyes still looked a little red and puffy.

"Stop," Wyatt said with a chuckle. "You look fine."

She quirked a brow at him. "I do not. I look awful."

He reached over and took her hand and then brought the back of it to his lips. "I promise you, you don't."

She scoffed. "You have to say that, you still want me to like you."

He laughed and kept firm hold of her hand when she tried to pull it out of his grasp. "I don't have to say anything. In fact, the smart decision would have been to say nothing. Did I do that? No. So clearly, I mean what I say. Your eyes are a bit red and yes puffy but they don't look as bad as you think they do. You look slightly allergic to something," he told her with a teasing smirk. "Not as if you've been crying."

Her face slowly broke out into a grin and that grin widened into a smile before she finally laughed at him. "Well, thank you. I think? Is that actually better?"

"Take what you can get, Ms. Preston," he told her with a wink and a grin.

"It's only been three days and I'm already questioning why I put up with you," Lucy said with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Is it because I'm good in bed?" He asked with as he gave her a lopsided overconfident smirk.

She blushed and laughed. A full genuine laugh. The same laugh that had started all of this for him. It nearly eased all the pain he'd been feeling on her behalf.

"Are you laughing at me?" He asked her as he feigned offense. "I'm feeling a bit hurt right now."

He put on his best offended face and glared at her. She merely laughed harder. He thought being able to be there for her and care for her felt good. Yeah, making her laugh felt ten times more gratifying.

"Stop," she said through gasping breaths and laughter. "You look ridiculous. Your face. Oh god."

He turned his eyes back to the road and laughed with her softly. He adjusted their hands so that their fingers were laced and then softly ran his thumb across hers. "Feel better?"

"Mostly," she answered with the last of her laughter. The smile caused by the laughter stayed on her face though and he felt such an intense sense of accomplishment.

"So," he asked. "What would you like to do when we get home?" She'd called it home earlier and he wasn't going to question it. Using words like 'we' in relation to whatever they were now also left him feeling happier than he'd felt in a very long time.

How did he get to this feeling so quickly? He went from never wanting to love again to being so completely gone that just saying 'we' left him buzzing. It really was astonishing.

"Sleep," Lucy answered with a tired sigh. "Crying really takes a lot of you."

Wyatt didn't know what else to do so he kissed the back of her hand again. Anything to keep him from remembering how truly awful it had felt to hear her pain. "Okay."

He once again made Lucy wait for him to open her door for her. She'd rolled her eyes like last time, but he was determined to be the gentleman Noah clearly wasn't. To prove to her that it was less about tradition and gender roles and more about being able to do something _for her_ , no matter how simple it was. As he got out of the car he spotted the bottle of wine in the back from the grocery store trip that felt as though it had been years ago and realized he'd wasted his money. No way in hell was he taking that bottle of wine inside his apartment. It was tainted with panic and fear and Noah's smug grin. He opened Lucy's door and then grabbed the bottle of wine out of the back seat. He motioned Lucy forward with one hand on the small of her back, as had become his habit over the last three days, and as they entered the building Wyatt left the bottle of wine in front of the first apartment door they passed.

Just because he couldn't have it didn't mean someone else shouldn't.

Lucy gave him an odd look. He shrugged before he spoke, "That's what I was buying at the store when I ran into Dr. Douchebag."

Lucy glared angrily at the bottle and then nodded in understanding. "Good call."

He let Lucy in his apartment and then led her to his bedroom where he once again let her borrow sweatpants and a shirt. They were the same pants because in his mind those were hers now, but the shirt was an old high school gym shirt. It even had his first initial and last name still written on the front of it in permanent marker. It was too small for him now but it should be an okay fit for Lucy.

He also got a washcloth for her in case she wanted to wash her face. She'd been so determined to rub it clean in the car that he suspected she might need to. She'd accepted the washcloth and then disappeared into his bathroom. He changed as well and realized for the first time that his mad dash across town and the sheer stress of making sure Lucy was safe had actually left him a bit exhausted too. They'd been through a bit of ringer in the last several hours. In fact, it had only been about three hours since he'd left for the grocery store but it felt as though a whole day had passed.

His eyelids and limbs felt heavier than they should have and a yawn escaped him before he could stop it. Maybe sleep wasn't such a bad idea. He sat down on the bed and found himself staring at his pillow longingly. Yeah, he definitely needed sleep.

"You know, I never asked," Lucy said as she came back out of the bathroom. "How long after you talked to Noah did you come and see me?"

He chuckled at that. "How long? Immediately, Luce," he told her with a sigh as he ran his hands through his hair. "He'd barely gotten out the door before I was throwing cash at the poor check out girl and sprinting to my Jeep."

"Really?" She asked as she sat down next to him. She sounded surprised and touched at the same time. "Sprinting?"

He turned to face her and brought a hand to the side of her face. He gently caressed her freshly clean skin before he continued. "Sprinted to my Jeep and then drove off fast enough to break the sound barrier. I'm sure multiple cameras caught me running multiple red lights and I fully expect to be receiving tickets in the mail in the coming weeks. I couldn't risk anything happening to you. I couldn't waste any time."

She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. "I don't think I've ever had someone worry that much over me, Wyatt Logan. Are you sure I'm worth all of that?"

He leaned forward and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead and then one to each closed eyelid before he spoke up with an earnest tone that surprised even him. "You are the only thing I'm sure about right now, Lucy."

He heard her suck in a breath before she launched herself at him in a tight embrace. Her arms went around his neck and her cheek was pressed against his, leaving her lips right next to his ear. She'd nearly knocked him backwards onto the mattress with the force of her hug but he'd braced himself just in time. His arms went around her and held her just as tightly. He wasn't sure what the private investigator would find, he wasn't sure what was going to happen with Noah, and he wasn't sure about what role Lucy's mother played in all of this. But he was sure about Lucy Preston herself. That wasn't a lie. He wanted to be a part of her life. He wanted to let her into his own life. He wanted all the things he told himself he didn't deserve but he only wanted them _with her_.

"I'm sure about you too," Lucy said softly as she placed a kiss to the hinge of his jaw, just below his ear. "Thank you for coming to find me today."

"From here on out," Wyatt began, before he could stop himself. "I will always find you. Okay? Always."

He wasn't sure how many ways he could say 'I love you' without actually saying the words, but so far he thought he'd found at least three. Maybe, someday soon, he could actually say the three little words he'd been dancing around for the last several hours. But until then, he'd settle for reassuring Lucy that she was safe with him. Physically and emotionally. He would always be there for her, always find her, always care for her. Until he could say the words, he hoped that would be enough.


	13. Dream

They both slept soundly. Lucy was surprised how quickly and easily she fell asleep, even knowing how secure she felt with Wyatt. She'd woken up once briefly to find her turned on her side with Wyatt spooned against her. He'd thrown one arm across her and pulled her closer to him than she had been when they'd fallen asleep. Now that she'd witnessed how protective Wyatt was it was evident in everything he did. Even when he was sleeping.

It wasn't to the point of being overbearing, as it would be with most other men. Noah wasn't protective, so much as possessive, and even he had his overbearing moments. But Wyatt only wanted to protect her. Not control her. He'd made that clear too.

She rolled over to face him and found him fast asleep. The peace on his face left her with the impression that his sleep was deep and dreamless. She curled herself into him and let herself fall back to sleep. Only her sleep wasn't as deep and dreamless as Wyatt's.

The minute she closed her eyes she was back in that car, in the river, water rushing in. She hadn't dreamt about that in years. Why now? But there was something different this time. Something new. First thing, she noticed was that she wasn't in the driver's seat. Which was odd. Why wasn't she in the driver's seat? She turned to look, which was difficult with the seat belt tight across her, and heard herself cry out in pain at what she found.

Wyatt, slumped forward, trapped by his seatbelt too. There was a gash on his forehead and blood flowing from his nose as if he'd hit his face on the steering wheel. He was unconscious and water was everywhere. There was banging on her door and she looked up just in time for it to be pulled open. She barely had time to take a breath before small pocket of air they'd had left was filled with water. Her seat belt was cut and she felt herself being yanked from the seat. She fought to stay, to reach for Wyatt. To help him with his seat belt but who ever it was had her around the waist. She grabbed at the frame of the card and tried to use it to pull her forward, toward Wyatt deeper into the water but it was to no avail. The grip around her waist was too strong and Wyatt grew smaller and smaller in her vision.

They broke the surface and Lucy thrashed against her savior.

"No!" She yelled. "Wyatt! You have to go back for Wyatt!"

The scoff that sounded next to her chilled Lucy to the bone. "He was in the way, Lucy," the voice said with a tired sigh. "He had to go."

She jumped away from the arms that still held her around the waist with a sob. "Noah."

"You wouldn't see reason. I had to do something. You can't avoid your destiny, Lucy," he said as he waded toward her.

Screw him, she thought. Screw destiny. She needed to get to Wyatt. She turned and swam toward where she knew the car was still sinking. She could save him. She just had to get away from Noah. She swam as fast as she could and dove under. The car was still there and she could see Wyatt inside. Just as she reached the open passenger door again a hand gripped her ankle.

She kicked and kicked but she couldn't break free. Her arms and legs were getting tired and she wasn't sure how much longer she could stay under water, but if she went up to the surface again Noah would have her and that would be it for Wyatt. She wouldn't let that happen. She promised not to let Noah hurt Wyatt. _She promised_.

"Lucy."

What was that? That wasn't Noah.

"Lucy, breathe, come on. Wake up, it's okay."

She turned and looked around only to find Noah grinning vindictively at her through the blue haze of the water.

Suddenly she was sitting up in bed with a gasping breath. Early evening light flowed into the room from a lone window and she felt a soothing hand rubbing circles on her back. She brought a hand to rest over her wildly beating heart. What the hell was that? Noah was trying to kill Wyatt to get to her?

_Wyatt._

Her eyes frantically searched the room but before she could find him his hand cupped the side of her face. "I'm here, Lucy. Right next to you. Breathe."

She took a slow deep breath as he instructed and then exhaled. The world seemed to move around her again. She blinked the last of the dream away and remembered where she was. She was with Wyatt. In his apartment. He was alive. She opened her eyes and found his blue ones staring back at her. She cried out in palpable relief and then launched herself at him.

"It was just a dream," Wyatt whispered as his arms wrapped around her. His hands on her back felt strong and _safe_. He was tethering her to reality in this moment between waking and dreaming. She was slowly getting her bearings as the world righted itself around her.

"It didn't feel like a dream," she told him. She tasted salt on her upper lip and realized she was crying. Tears were streaming down her face. Had she been crying in her sleep? "Noah was trying to-to kill you." She stumbled over those last three words because even the idea of it was too horrible to consider.

"He didn't. I'm right here. We're both safe and we're both very much alive," Wyatt told her in a gentle reassuring tone.

"I kept trying to get to you, to save you, but he wouldn't let me. I-I could have but he _wouldn't let me_."

That was the worst part, wasn't it? She had the ability and the strength but she still failed. She'd been forced to watch as Wyatt drifted further and further away. She felt Wyatt press repetitive kisses to her temple. Each softer and longer than the last. She let him anchor her and focused on his chest against hers, where she could feel his steady heartbeat against her more erratic one. She tried to match his breathing and his heartbeat and felt herself beginning to calm down. Only when Wyatt seemed certain she'd calmed did he loosen his hold on her.

"You okay?" He asked as he pulled back to look her in the eyes again. He looked so concerned and genuinely afraid for her. Not because of Noah but because she'd been so panicked. "I woke up and you weren't taking deep breaths, you were completely rigid," he said before he softly traced the tracks of her tears with one finger. "And then there were these."

"I haven't dreamt about the accident in years," Lucy admitted with an emotional gulp. "This was like those dreams but you were there too and Noah-God, it was awful." She closed the small distance between them and kissed his lips eagerly, as if she needed further proof that he hadn't been taken from her. She kept the kiss brief but it was still desperate and emotional. "I'm okay now, though, really."

The " _now that you're here_ " was unspoken but she could see the understanding in his eyes.

However, her chance at sleep was definitely gone. She was awake now. There was no going back to sleep.

Wyatt glanced at the clock on his bedside table. "Well, it's just now seven P.M.," he told her. "How about some food?"

She nodded wordlessly and then moved to stand from the bed. After almost having a panic attack and being asleep for so long, she must have moved too fast because she lost balance and nearly fell over. Wyatt was up in a flash with his highly trained reflexes, steadying her with an arm around her waist.

"Woah, take it slow," Wyatt said as he kept his arm around her for a long moment. "You sure you're okay?"

She closed her eyes and nodded. "Just a little shaken. That's all."

"Whatever you dreamed, Lucy, it won't happen. We won't let it get that far," Wyatt promised her. "We're going to get the evidence we need and Noah won't be a problem for much longer. You'll go back to Jiya's without fearing someone's watching you and your dreams will stop. This is temporary."

She met his eyes and smiled warmly at him. He said it with such conviction that she had no choice but to believe him. "I know."

* * *

They'd slept for four hours before Lucy had woken him up. He'd felt a brief kick which woke him enough to hear her gasping for air. Her hands were fisted in his shirt and her cheeks were soaked with tears. She was having a panic attack. He'd seen men he served with suffer from them plenty of times. But she was still asleep which is what instantly terrified him. She couldn't calm herself down if she wasn't even conscious of what was happening. _Shit_.

Was she dreaming?

"Lucy," Wyatt said as he took her face in both of his hands. Her fists relaxed slightly but her eyes didn't open. He didn't want to shake her but he was this close to doing just that. "Lucy, breathe, come on. Wake up, it's okay."

He really needed her to start breathing. She looked ashen and it left him wondering how long she'd been suffering next to him.

In the next moment she bolted upright with a loud gasping breath. He relaxed and sat up with her. Her eyes were wide and full of fear and he could sense her grasping for an idea of where she was. He reached out and cupped her face, relieved when her eyes closed and she leaned into his touch. "I'm here, Lucy. Right next to you. Breathe."

The next few minutes were excruciating for him as he helpless watched Lucy reconcile her dream with reality. She threw out details as he tried his best to ground her and keep her breathing deeply. She was still frantic and he worried another panic attack wasn't that far away. He comforted her as best as he could, listening to whatever she could remember, and then holding her tightly when she threw herself into his arms. She'd dreamed that Noah had killed him and made her watch. His chest ached. He wasn't sure what to do with that. He felt himself place kisses on her temple before he realized what he was doing. He wasn't sure what else he could say so physically reminding her of his presence felt like the best way to go.

It seemed to work because he could feel her willing herself to calm down. Her breathing and heartbeat were starting to match the steady rhythm he was trying to set for her. Soon, he felt her muscles relax against him. He pulled back to verbally confirm that she was okay. She was more present when she talked about the dream this time but he could see it haunting her and a moment later she was placing an urgent short kiss to his lips. She needed one last reminder that she was awake now and he was alive. He was more than happy to provide that for her.

He knew she was most likely full of adrenaline after a dream like that and she probably wouldn't go back to sleep. Honestly, he didn't think he could either. It was still early in the evening and he wasn't sure when Lucy ate last but she was probably hungry. He suggested they eat, Lucy agreed, and then the minute he took his eyes off of her she started to stumble forward. He caught her around the waist and held her there until he confirmed with her that she was okay.

He hated this. He hated that she had to live with an unknown fear. He hated that for the time being, his hands were tied. They had to bide their time until his Private Investigator contacted him with something they could use. He needed her to know that they would fix this. The two of them together would fight to get her life back. She deserved that.

"Whatever you dreamed, Lucy, it won't happen. We won't let it get that far," he promised her. "We're going to get the evidence we need and Noah won't be a problem for much longer. You'll go back to Jiya's without fearing someone's watching you and your dreams will stop. This is temporary."

"I know."

The faith in her eyes shook him to the core. He couldn't find a single doubt on her face. He'd never had someone believe in him that much. Not since his Grandpa Sherwin passed. He hadn't even realized he still needed something so unconditional until he saw it in her eyes in that exact moment. He never wanted to be without that and with out _her_ again.

Maybe that's why he said what he did next. Maybe that unshakeable faith in her eyes encouraged him more than it should have. It was the only explanation because he certainly wouldn't have admitted it otherwise.

"I love you."

He'd said it quickly but he'd said it. It hit him that it had only been three days and maybe Lucy didn't feel the same and _maybe_ he'd scare her away with that psycho Noah still out there. Why had he confessed his feelings again?

"I love you too."

He'd been so prepared for her shock and dismay that he didn't wait to register her reply. "Yeah, sorry, I get it. I mean it's only been three days. I should-" Midway through his apology her words finally hit his ears. He found her face and found her smiling at him in amusement. "Wait, what?"

"There it is," she said with a light laugh. "Did the penny drop?"

"Did you say-Did I hear you right?"

He never imagined he'd be able to say those words again let alone hear someone return them. Lucy smiled kindly at him and placed her hands on his shoulders. One hand drifted down to rest over his heart before she repeated her earlier words. "I love you too."

They'd just woken up and Lucy's nightmare had been horrible. He was still a bit raw from it and he could tell by the dark circles under her eyes that she was too, but the minute she repeated herself none of that mattered.

His hands that had settled loosely around her waist tightened and pulled her to him. Her arms went around his neck with one hand on the back of his neck, fingers slipping into his hair, and the other cupping the side of his face. Her tired eyes suddenly looked bright and her worried frown turned up and into a joyful smile. He felt his face automatically mirror hers.

"How is this possible?" Wyatt asked her. "For us to both be in the same place after only three days?"

She grinned and shrugged. "I've decided not to question it. It doesn't matter how or why. Just that it _is_." Her fingers lightly and absently caressed his cheek as she continued to grin at him. "Not that your modesty isn't adorable, but why do you think it shouldn't be possible? All I've seen in the last three days is a caring and considerate man who wants me to decide what's best for myself. Why wouldn't I fall in love with that?" She asked with genuine concern.

He scoffed and shook his head. "Because I'm hot headed and over protective and I have a career that is difficult to cope with. I have things in my past that we haven't talked about yet that I'm not exactly proud of. I'm just--a lot of work."

She giggled at him and shook her head. "Like I'm not? My ex-boyfriend is having me followed. My mother may have threatened me. My career is going nowhere fast and I barely make enough to rent a room in someone else's apartment. And I now apparently have panic attacks in my sleep. You've picked a real prize, Logan."

"Okay," he said with a teasing grin. "We're both a mess. I get it."

She laughed and then brought her face closer to his. She met his eyes before she continued. "My point is, those things are not all that we are. They're the struggles we deal with, sure, but they don't define us. And I have to admit, given how ridiculous today was, that my _struggles_ are a lot easier to deal with when I have someone I can lean on. And I really hope I can return the favor."

She didn't know it, but she already had. She'd allowed him in. Trusted him and let him take care of her. She was independent and a natural caretaker, he could tell. Her little sister and Celia were evidence of that. He knew that letting him help her or comfort her or just be there for her in a time of vulnerability was a big gesture. She'd been open to the idea of him from the start when she didn't have to be and, that alone, meant the world to him.

"You have, already, Luce," he told her softly. "You believe in me and that's more than I've had in a long time."

This ride they were on had been wild and fast and dangerous but he wouldn't trade a moment of it. Not if it meant meeting her. All of the pain he'd been through in his life led him decision by decision to her door. The chain of people and events that brought them together felt like kismet. Magic. Fate. God. The Force. Whatever the hell you wanted to call it didn't matter. It was meant to happen. He was meant to find her. He knew that for certain.

And no douchebag psychotic ex-boyfriend was going to get in their way. Not if they stood together like they were always meant to be.


	14. Adjusting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, wow, that episode, huh? How are we? Are we alive? Breathing? Have we had time to sob and throw things? Are we recovering? Personally, I'm in a pretty good place with it (though that took me about 48 hours of processing EVERYTHING to achieve.) Sorry, the update was delayed. First I wanted to finish Choices before 2x03 aired and then I was just trying to recover from 2x03. But the beauty of this AU is that it's all about a strong, united, and confident Logan & Preston, with a side of alive and well Amy. So, yeah, this fic might be my happy place for a while.  
> Anyway! Happy reading!  
> angellwings

After their talk, confessions more like, Lucy hadn't had any more nightmares or panic attacks. Not in the last two nights, at least. She felt secure with Wyatt and the fact that there had been no disruptions at her gig had helped. She'd made Wyatt stay home. He'd fought her on it but she was determined to not let Noah change how she lived her life. So, Celia picked her up at Wyatt's and, for the first time since Wyatt had seen Noah the day before, she went somewhere without her security blanket (Wyatt.) She realized that she needed that. She needed to know she could go somewhere without him and feel comfortable. Wyatt was her safe space and even if she loved him she needed to maintain her independence. It felt good. It felt strong.

The show went off without a hitch. She didn't feel wary or nervous. There were no feelings of intrusive eyes watching her. Afterward, Celia took her to pick up her car and a few things from Jiya's.

Jiya gave her wary look as she walked in the door. "So, you're living with him now?"

"No," Lucy replied with a chuckle. "It's just temporary."

"Right," She said with a nod. "You mentioned that in your text. Your ex is watching our apartment?"

"We think so," Lucy said with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Jiya."

"Lucy, you don't need to apologize," Jiya told her with a sympathetic grin. "You couldn't have prevented this. But I'm definitely going to miss you."

Lucy smiled kindly at the younger woman. "I'm going to miss you too, but as soon as Wyatt and I take care of this I'll be back. I promise."

"Good," Jiya said as she gave Lucy a quick hug. "I've got to get to work, so--"

"After midnight?" Lucy asked with a furrowed brow.

"I was on a meal break," Jiya explained. "And no one else can do what I do at Mason," Jiya said with a wink. Her phone pinged and she glanced down at it before breathing a sigh of relief. "You can tell Celia, Dave will be home in an hour or so," Jiya said as she looked from her phone to Lucy. "I've really got to go though. A genius's work is never done."

Lucy chuckled at her and nodded. "I'll keep you updated, okay?"

"You better," Jiya told her as she left the apartment and shut the door behind her.

Lucy texted Celia about Dave being home soon. And once again, Lucy wondered what Dave could be doing at Mason. A historian, a soldier, and an engineer made such an odd team. Lucy shook the thought away and then began to pack a bag. She couldn't borrow Wyatt's clothes forever.

It didn't take her long and she was leaving the apartment and headed back to Wyatt's a few minutes later. She texted him from the parking lot at his complex and found the door unlocked when she arrived.

"Hey," she said as she entered to make sure he knew it was her. Given the knowledge that Noah was after her, she thought he'd like the reassurance.

"Hey," he replied as he peaked out of the kitchen to watch her shut and lock the front door. She put her duffel bag down against the wall and crossed the room to him.

"Did you find something to do?" She asked with a smirk as she playfully glanced around at the carpet floors in his older model apartment. "I don't see any paths worn in the floor so you must not have paced worriedly the _entire_ time."

He rolled his eyes and grinned at her. "Funny."

"If the shoe fits," Lucy told him with a laugh and a shrug. He had a towel slung over his shoulder and she realized for the first time there was a really wonderful smell coming from the kitchen.

"What are you making?" She asked as Wyatt stepped into her space and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Breakfast," he supplied with a smirk.

She furrowed her brow at him. "It's after one in morning."

"I'm aware because I was waiting up for a certain musician to get home," Wyatt told her pointedly with a chuckle. "It's not for now. Its for in the morning."

"That's a lot of work for just you and me," Lucy said with a chuckle.

"Well," Wyatt said with a sheepish grin. "It's not gonna be just you and me. I took the liberty of inviting Amy over."

Her eyes widened in surprise. How? He didn't have Amy's number and she didn't have his. "You did?"

"She found me on Facebook earlier and I know you haven't had much time to talk to her since the brunch so I thought you might--"

He never finished his reasons because Lucy threw herself at him with a small jump. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt him counter her weight to keep them both upright. He chuckled as her chin came to rest on his shoulder. He'd expected the hug, she realized. He had probably guessed that might be her response to having Amy over. How had he known? How did he known that she desperately wanted to talk to her sister?

"Thank you," She said as she turned her head and placed a small kiss to his neck.

"You're welcome," he said as his arms tightened briefly around her in a reassuring squeeze. "I figured I could go to the gym for a bit of an extended work out and give you two some time for catching up."

"Wait, you don't want to stay?" Lucy asked as she pulled back from the embrace to meet his eyes.

"I can stay if you want," he offered. "But I thought you might want some one on one time with her. Especially since I tagged along on Sunday's brunch."

She shook her head at him and laughed in amazement. "So you're up late making breakfast that you're not even going to eat?" She asked him with affectionate amusement.

"Like you said," he told her with a tilt of his head and a grin. "Had to find something to do besides pace."

"How about you stay to eat," Lucy said as she chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. "And then make yourself scarce afterward? That way Amy gets to talk to you a little more, you get to eat, and I can still have my alone time with my baby sister," She suggested. She really wanted Amy and Wyatt to get to know each other more. As of this moment they were the two most important people in her life. But he was right, she also wanted time alone for just her and Amy.

He grinned and nodded, easily. "You got it. How was the show?"

She smiled brightly at him. "Perfect. We have a return engagement already. They really liked us at that club. And I did not have one suspicious feeling of dread the whole night. So, I'm happy."

"I know you didn't want security detail on you," Wyatt said with a chuckle as he pointed playfully to himself. "But I do actually _want_ to go to a show. I _want_ to hear you sing."

He'd heard her sing at the wedding but the fact that he wanted to hear her sing again made her inexplicably happy. She nodded and then ran a soft hand across his cheek. "Next show, I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Wyatt told her. She knew he would too.

She grinned and nodded. "I know. Thank you, by the way," she told him. "For not insisting on coming tonight. I know that wasn't easy for you."

He chuckled. "Understatement. But I can admit when you're right and you were right. I can't follow you around every hour of every day and you shouldn't let Noah make you afraid to go out. And, look at that, you came back. Not a scratch on you," Wyatt told her with a warm smile. "Now you know and _I_ know that it's possible."

"I definitely like things best right here with you though," Lucy told him with a contented sigh.

* * *

Amy texted before she headed their way the next morning. Lucy was surprised she hadn't texted the night before after Wyatt invited her over. Wyatt was finishing up whatever it was he'd started making last night and Lucy was getting dressed. She grinned at the message as she read it.

_So you and Soldier Boy are living together now? Who are you and what have you done with my sister?_

She chuckled and texted back, _We're not living together. I'm staying with him temporarily._

_Sure, Jan._

Lucy rolled her eyes and shook her head. _Just get over here and I'll explain._

_-Explain what? That you're in LURVE with him?_

_-Oh god, you are an actual twelve year old._

_-Lucy and Wyatt sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G._

_-STOP._

_-IN THE NAME OF LOVE._

_-oh my god I am done with you._

_-love you too, sis._

She finished getting ready and joined Wyatt in his little kitchen. His back was to her as she padded her way to him across the cracked linoleum floor. He was clearly working. But the sight of his back and solid shoulders in a well fitting black t-shirt left her unable to care that she might interrupt him. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and pressed her cheek against his back.

"Amy's on her way," she told him. "Just a warning, she seems to be in rare form today. Lots of teasing if our texts are any indication."

Wyatt laughed and placed one hand on top of hers as they rested on his chest. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"Because you've met her and you know she's a brat," Lucy said with a chuckle.

"A bossy brat," Wyatt added. "Bossy must run in the family."

She rolled her eyes and gently nipped at his back with her teeth in retaliation. He let out a little yelp and tried to pull away from her.

"Hey, watch it," he said as he turned his head to glare at her playfully. "Or I'll give that mouth of yours something else to do."

"That a threat or a promise?" Lucy asked with a smirk before she placed a kiss to the back of his neck.

"I am trying to work here, ma'am," Wyatt said in a warning tone.

"Do you see me stopping you?" She asked with a light laugh. She spotted his ear and leaned toward it. She nipped at it the way she had his back and was rewarded with a short and soft groan.

"You're not stopping me but you're certainly not helping," Wyatt scolded with a voice that sounded much rougher than it had before. His hands moved faster at his task and she peered over his shoulder to see him cutting a casserole of some kind into squares.

"Aw, you made a casserole? Cute," Lucy said with a grin as she kissed the hinge of his jaw. "It looks done to me, Master Sergeant."

She felt the muscles under her hands tense and watched him set the knife he'd been using aside. "What did I tell you about calling me by my rank?" He asked.

She smirked and then released her hold on his chest to step back a few paces. "To do it anytime I wanted your attention."

He laughed lightly and turned to face her with a lifted brow. "No, don't think that was it."

"Hmm," She said as she feigned cluelessness. "Then I guess I don't remember."

"I'm pretty sure I told you not to unless we had time for me to do something about it," Wyatt told her as he backed her across his small kitchen and into the countertop across from the stove where they'd been standing. He kept going until her waist was pressed against the counter and _he_ was pressed against _her_.

His hands immediately dove into her hair and used his hold to pull his face close to hers. His eyes were considerably darker and the smirk on his face looked dangerous. His lips hovered just a centimeter or two above hers and as she was about close the distance between them his hands traveled to her shoulders and held her back. She felt the frustrated grumble in her throat long before it escaped her lips and glared at him.

"Too bad we don't have time to do anything about it right now," he said with a lopsided teasing grin. "What with your sister coming over and all."

Her mouth dropped open in shock, even if the corners turned up in a slight smirk. "That was mean!"

He laughed and shook his head at her. "No, using my rank was mean and _you_ knew it. That was just payback."

A knock sounded at apartment door and he smirked.

"That's probably your sister," he told her.

"Oh, this is so not over," Lucy told him with a teasing glare. "We're finishing this later."

He chuckled softly and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

God, how had she ever asked him to stop calling her ma'am?

They both left the kitchen to answer the door. Wyatt checked through the peephole to make sure it was Amy on the other side of the door before he answered.

"I brought donuts!" Amy exclaimed as she held the box out to Wyatt. She didn't even wait for them to greet her before she continued. "They're special heart shaped ones because you're both so _in love._ " She practically sang the last two words and grinned teasingly at Lucy. "Right, sis?"

"I told you," Lucy said as she turned to face Wyatt and ignored her sister. "Rare form."


	15. Intentions

Wyatt chuckled at Amy and took the box of donuts. "Thanks," he told her as he stepped aside and let her into the apartment.

"Do you think you could catch _those_ in your mouth? Cause that would be impressive," Amy asked him with a challenging smirk.

"Okay, wasting chocolate chips is one thing," Lucy said as she directed her sister toward his living room. "But do not even _joke_ about wasting donuts. How could you even consider it?"

Preston women apparently didn't slow down for a minute. They were both already seated on his couch without so much as a hello or how are you. He set the donuts aside after confirming that they were, in fact, heart shaped and then set his small four person table that sat in the corner of his living room. He put the casserole down in the middle on top of a pot holder and then glanced over at the two women rapidly chatting away.

He chuckled at them and cleared his throat loudly. "Would you ladies like to eat before it gets cold?"

"Oh my god, he cooked?" Amy asked Lucy before she turned a shocked look on him. "You cooked?"

"Yes?" Wyatt answered in an uncertain tone. Why was she surprised by that? He'd helped them cook brunch a few days ago, hadn't he?

"Well then tell me you're staying," Amy said in a scolding tone. "Because on Facebook you made it sound like you weren't and it would be totally rude of us to not include you after _you cooked_."

Lucy smirked at him and lifted a brow pointedly. "That's basically what I said. He's staying. I talked him into it."

"Good," Amy said as she stood and walked over to the table. "I wouldn't have pegged you for the domestic type, Wyatt."

"Hey, I cook, I clean. I have to when I'm deployed. Might as well keep it up when I come home," he told her with a grin.

"Well, _she_ can't cook so it's good that you can," Amy said as she pointed to Lucy with a smirk.

Lucy rolled her eyes as they all sat down at the table. "I warned him already."

"I think she could get the hang of it," Wyatt told Lucy with a teasing grin.

"Okay, but you better keep a fire extinguisher handy," Amy said with a laugh. "I mean it's your apartment and your kitchen so you take whatever risk you are comfortable with, my man."

"This is fun," Lucy said dryly as she nodded her head. "But can we talk about something else now?"

Wyatt laughed at both of them. He didn't have siblings but he'd imagine if he did it would be much like this. In the midst of the insanity, it was nice to see Lucy enjoying herself.

"So, Wyatt," Amy said as she put a piece of the breakfast casserole on her plate. "What are your intentions with my sister?"

Lucy had already taken a bite and the minute that question left Amy's mouth she coughed and sputtered and glared at her younger sister. Wyatt patted her back with an amused grin.

"Are frickin' kidding me, Amy?" Lucy asked when she finally cleared the food out of her windpipe.

"What? It's a legit question," Amy said with a grin that could only be described as shit eating. No other term seemed to do it justice.

"You wanna know?" Wyatt asked her. "Really?"

She nodded as Lucy gave him a curious sidelong glance.

"Okay, I love her. I know that. And I want to make sure that she has the freedom and ability to follow her dreams and passions." He paused and found Lucy's eyes before continuing. "I want to be the guy that she thinks I am. The person she believes I can be. Honestly, that's as far as I've gotten at this point, but I'm still mulling it over." He let his gaze leave Lucy's to look at Amy. "How was that? Good enough?"

Amy gave him a long considering stare before finally nodded. "Yes, good enough."

"So," Lucy said awkwardly before changing the subject and turning to face Amy. "How are your classes?"

"Easy," Amy said with a shrug.

Lucy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "As usual. Why do you need another degree anyway? You have two already."

Amy shrugged again. "So sue me if I don't know what I want my career to be."

"So, you're just going to keep trying on different degrees until one fits?" Lucy asked her with a teasing grin.

"Why not?" Amy asked. "I like learning so I don't mind and I refuse to do something I'm not a hundred percent invested in."

Wyatt nodded and gave the younger Preston sibling an impressed glance. "Sounds like a good philosophy to me. You never know till you try, right?"

"Right," Amy said with a decisive nod. "It's funny you say that. That's what dad used to say to us all the time. Especially to this nervous nellie over here."

"Hey," Lucy said in an offended tone. "He said that to us both equally. Besides, I'm not the one who refused to try broccoli until she was fourteen."

"Um, broccoli is gross," Amy said with a bewildered shake of her head. "So I feel pretty justified in that decision."

"Are you two always like this?" Wyatt asked with a smirk and a chuckle.

"Pretty much," Lucy told him with a warm smile. "I love her but she's still my annoying kid sister."

"And she's my pain in the ass older sister who sometimes thinks she's mom," Amy said with a bright smile of her own. "Right?"

Lucy laughed and nodded. "Right. But you better mean that 'mom' thing in all the good ways. Not like _our_ mother."

"Despite mom's best efforts," Amy said with a chuckle. "You are definitely not her so no worries there."

Wyatt had already finished his breakfast while he listened to them talk and thought he should probably get to the gym. Lucy needed to catch up with Amy and he'd been neglecting his work out routine lately anyway. He stood and then kissed Lucy's temple as he walked past her toward the kitchen. "Okay, I'm gonna go. You ladies have fun." He put his plate in the sink and when he walked past Lucy again she grabbed his wrist and then motined for him to come toward her.

He bent down to be eye level with her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and then gave him a chaste but lingering kiss. "Thank you," she told him as she pulled back. "This was very thoughtful."

He gave her half of a grin and sheepish shrug as he stood up again. "Anything for you, ma'am. I'll be back in an hour or two."

"Okay, see you later," Lucy told him as he turned and headed for the door. He felt her eyes on his retreating back the entire time.

The living situation may be due to some pretty infuriating circumstances but he was allowed to enjoy it, right?

* * *

As soon as the door closed behind Wyatt, Amy began squealing in obvious delight.

"Lucy, _oh my god_ , the way he looks at you is just...wow. And his response to that intentions question! Holy shit, maybe I should get Celia to set _me up_. She may have a talent for it," Amy gushed. "I just...I totally see why you fell so hard and fast. Damn. Does he have a brother?"

Lucy laughed hard and loud once Amy finished and then took a sip of her coffee to calm down. "I think you may be more in love with him than I am."

Amy scoffed. "Right. Not possible. I've never seen you like this before. All glowing and smiley and content. Where is stressed, frazzled, nervous Lucy? I do not see her anywhere. Not in this apartment-in _his_ apartment."

"About that," Lucy said with a sigh.

"And there's nervous, stressed, frazzled Lucy. Right there," Amy said with a furrowed brow. "What's up?"

"We think Noah has someone watching me," Lucy told her as she chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "He approached Wyatt at the grocery store and knew all these things about Wyatt and I never once mentioned seeing someone else to Noah."

"What the hell?" Amy asked in a raised voice. Lucy could always count on Amy to be offended on her behalf. "Are you for real?"

Lucy nodded. "I've felt like someone's been watching me for a few days now. I just didn't put it together until Wyatt said Noah talked to him. Wyatt offered to let me stay here if I didn't feel safe at Jiya's so...here I am."

"God, I can't believe mom set you up with that psycho," Amy said with an angry glare. "I mean I love her, but why the hell would she send him your way?"

"I'm way past trying to figure out mom's reasons for anything," Lucy said with a tired sigh. "I just wish she'd leave me alone."

"I hate to say it, but I don't think that's going to happen," Amy told her with a sympathetic shake of her head. "She still chats with Noah on a regular basis."

"That is just so _bizarre_ to me," Lucy said with a furrowed brow. "It's like she's making some sort of arranged marriage deal with him or something. Which does not compute with the take charge, women's rights championing, independent mother that I used to know."

"Yeah, I don't get it either," Amy admitted sadly. "But there's been a lot of things about mom over the last few years that I haven't understood. Since you dropped out of college she's been so different. I don't get why that would change things so much though."

"It's clear now that mom has more planned for me than I knew," Lucy said with an eye roll and a shrug. "But I like my plan. My life. My choices-"

"Your Wyatt," Amy said with a teasing smirk.

Lucy blushed and chuckled. "Yes, Wyatt is a part of that. He's a choice I made for myself."

"I can't believe Noah tried to scare him off," Amy said with a scowl.

Lucy huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Noah is an idiot."

"At least now we know Wyatt doesn't scare easy."

Lucy nodded before a warm smile slowly spread across her face. "It actually kinda backfired. Noah wanted him to run away, but he came running _to_ me so fast, Amy. I know it's only been a few days but he hasn't wavered or left me doubting. Not for a moment. I've never had someone in my life like that, _aside_ from you or dad."

"Are you re-evaluating your 'meant to be' theory?" Amy asked her knowingly. "You've always questioned the idea that everyone has one person who's meant for them. Ever since we were kids. But, Lucy, even if you don't believe in it, _I think_ you've found yours."

"Whether it's 'meant to be' or not, I'm not letting him go. Not for mom, not for Noah. Not for anyone," Lucy assured her. "He makes me happier than I feel like I have a right to be."

"Good," Amy told her with a bright smile. "I've never seen you like this. I mean, I've seen you with dates and boyfriends but you never looked like this. You never glowed so brightly or laughed so easily. You _do_ actually have every right to be this happy and I'm glad you are. I'm glad you're letting yourself feel that. Sometimes, I think you inhibit yourself. Hold yourself back. You haven't done that with him."

"I know," Lucy said with a nod. "But opening up to him just felt... _natural_. Is that weird?"

"Yes, but in a good way. The _best_ way," Amy assured her. "He's not like anyone else. That's how it should be, I think. If you really already love him."

"I do," Lucy told her eagerly. "I really do."

"Then screw what mom wants or that douchenozzle Noah," Amy said with a smirk. "Fight it out. Fight them for what you want."

Lucy grinned at her sister and nodded. "Trust me, I have every intention of doing just that."

* * *

After his workout, Wyatt's cell phone rang as he was gathering his things. He grinned at the number and answered quickly.

"Bam-Bam," Wyatt said as he headed for the door. "What's up?"

"Well, barring any urgent situations, I have tomorrow off. So, Celia and I are inviting you over," Dave answered. "Bring Lucy."

"I didn't say yes," Wyatt said with a smirk.

"Did you think I asked a question?" Dave said with a laugh. "You're coming. Bring Lucy." There was a pause and Wyatt knew what was coming next. "Hey, what happened the other day? Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Wyatt answered with a sigh. "For the most part. I'm working on it."

"Is Lucy okay?" Dave asked. "You sounded pretty worried on the phone."

"Lucy's fine. Really. I got this, Bam-Bam. You don't need to worry. Focus on your assignment," Wyatt advised. "Focus on Celia."

"Okay," Dave said reluctantly. "But if you need help, man, I want to know."

"I will tell you if it reaches that point," Wyatt promised. "Trust me."

"It's just I know how you can get when things become personal," Dave told him. "It's a lot of shoot first, ask later. Which you get away with majority of the time, I know but-"

"I'm not gonna go dark, Dave," Wyatt said seriously. "This situation is serious, but it's not that serious. I'm keeping my head."

Dave sighed. It sounded resigned and frustrated but he didn't question Wyatt's answer. "Okay. Celia and I will see you tomorrow then."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Be here at one."

"Maybe."

Dave laughed as he hung up and Wyatt shook his head. He was used to Dave forcing him to go out. But this was new. Now, Dave was forcing him into a double date. This should be fun.


	16. Making a Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There is a little moment in this chapter that I borrowed just slightly from 2x03. I put a Habit of You twist on it but the gist of the exchange is still the same. Just thought I'd put that out there. This chapter is entirely happy/sexy Lyatt. I thought we could all use some given where canon will be taking us this coming Sunday.  
> Happy reading!  
> angellwings

When Wyatt arrived back at the apartment Amy was gone, the table had been cleared, and the dishes cleaned. He found Lucy lounging on his bed with a book that, from the look of the cover and the title, was about women in the civil war. Her legs were stretched out in front of her and her back rested against a few pillows and the headboard. She had one hand holding the spine of the book and the other absently twirling her bookmark. He couldn't help but lean against the doorframe to watch.

It had been a while since he'd come home to find a beautiful women casually resting in his bed and he was enjoying the sight of this particular woman immensely.

He was still in his work out clothes and a bit sweaty but the temptation to slide into that bed next to her and kiss her senseless was strong. She looked so comfy in his space and it was unbelievably attractive.

"Good book, Professor?"

He didn't know where the nickname had come from. Maybe it was her confession that she thought about becoming a teacher or maybe it was the way she bragged about being a know-it-all. He wasn't sure, but it felt fitting the minute it left his lips.

She lowered the book and met his eyes over the top of it. Her brown eyes swept over him appreciatively as she bit her bottom lip and he never wanted to kiss anyone more.

"Pretty good, yeah," she answered with a smirk. "How was your workout?"

He shrugged and flashed her a crooked smile. "Pretty good. You should come with me next time."

She let out a short burst of laughter and shook her head repeatedly. "Nope! Don't think so. Honestly, me and physical activity do not go together. Unless, you want to go running. I could handle that. But that's my limit, Soldier."

He quirked a brow at her and took in her long slender legs and lithe form. He could definitely see her as a runner. "I think I could manage a run. Could you keep up with me though?"

She put her book aside and smirked at him. "Um, excuse me, you are looking at a high school track star. I think you should be worried about keeping up with _me._ "

"Yeah?" He asked with a grin. He liked this cocky side of her. "I guess we'll find out then. Tomorrow morning okay with you?"

"You're on," she agreed.

"Speaking of tomorrow," Wyatt said as he kicked off his shoes and socks and threw his hoodie on the bed. "Bam-Bam and Celia have demanded our presence at a cook out tomorrow."

"Demanded?" Lucy asked in amusement.

"I wasn't given the option of saying no," Wyatt clarified with a chuckle.

Lucy nodded with a playful roll of her eyes. "Of course not. What time?"

"One," he replied as he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside with the hoodie. "Which gives me plenty of time to run circles around you in the morning."

"You wish," Lucy said with a light laugh as she gave him another slow once over. "It won't happen."

"You think you're that good?" Wyatt asked her with a wide grin. He wasn't ignorant to the way she was staring at him as he stood shirtless at the foot of the bed.

"Oh, I know I'm that good," Lucy replied as she scooted down the length of the bed to join him.

"Well, you've certainly got the legs for it," he told her.

He leaned over her and ran his calloused hand up the length of one of her bare smooth calves. She was wearing a light flowing sundress that stopped just below her knee, leaving her legs exposed. Thank the lord for small favors.

"I know what you're trying to do here, Mister," Lucy said with a teasing glare.

"Me?" He asked as he feigned innocence. His lopsided smirk gave him away, though. He knew it. His other hand caressed up and over the muscles on her other leg. Slower this time. "I'm just getting a feel for the competition. Can't be too prepared."

"I think that might be cheating," she replied with a stern face that he couldn't take seriously. Her eyes looked too amused to be serious.

"You don't seem to be stopping me," he told her with a light laugh as he continued to lean over her. "So probably not."

"Don't you dare think about kissing me until you take a shower," Lucy ordered as she pointed over his shoulder to the bathroom door.

"I smell that bad, huh?" He asked as his eyes drifted from her sparkling brown eyes to her extremely kissable lips. He took her arm that was pointed over his shoulder and pulled it around his neck.

"And you're sweaty," she said with a grimace as her arm fell against his damp neck.

His crooked smile grew and he chuckled. "Well, for what I want to do we'd end up sweaty anyway so I'm not seeing the problem."

She tilted her head back very slightly as she laughed at him and it put her in just the right position for his lips land on her neck. Right on top of her pulse point. He trailed kisses down her neck until he reached the ridge of her clavicle.

She let out a soft whimper but a second later said, "You still need a shower."

He laughed against her neck and then brought his eyes back to hers. "Okay, fine." He wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her from the end of bed. Her legs instinctively wrapped around him and he adjusted his hold till he was standing with her in his arms. "Two birds with one stone then."

"What?" Lucy asked with a chuckle.

"If I'm taking a shower," he said with a smirk as he kept a secure hold on her and walked them toward his bathroom. "Then you're coming with me."

He set her down on the bathroom counter before he turned to start the water. He was standing in front of her again a second later, in between her legs, and closing the distance between his mouth and hers. For all her complaining about him being sweaty she didn't waste any time letting her hands wander. He felt them across his back and then his chest and then on his neck and stubbled cheek. Her touch was warm and tender and yet urgent at the same time. With her hands wandering all over him it was no wonder he was kissing her harder and longer. More intrusive. Tasting and teasing and tongues searching.

He bunched the skirt of her sundress up and around the top of her thighs. Her skin was soft and creamy and probably the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. The only calluses to be found on her were on her fingers from playing guitar and writing. He'd yet to find any scars and the only thing that marred her porcelain tone was the bruise on her arm that was still healing. The one her douchebag ex-boyfriend had left behind. Without even realizing it he brought his hand up and gently ran the back of his fingers over the slightly faded purple bruise.

His other hand rested on the small of her back and pressed her tightly against him as steam from the running water filled the room around them. With her legs parted and wrapped around him, he could feel his arousal against her warm center. He ground himself against her and she pulled back from the kiss to arch against him with a moan.

He still had on his basketball shorts and she still had on her sundress, not to mention their underwear, and it was high time to do something about that.

He tried to pull the sundress over her head but the top of it was too tight and didn't budge when he yanked. "What the hell?"

Lucy laughed at his frustration and kissed him deeply before pressing her temple to his and speaking softly against his ear. "There's a zipper on the side, genius."

He rolled his eyes at her amusement and quickly found the zipper. Once that was undone, he easily pulled the dress over her head and tossed it to the floor. He stood back for a moment just to take in the image of Lucy Preston sitting on his bathroom counter in her underwear. She was gorgeous. From the rumpled wavy hair on her head to the cute painted pink toenails on her feet.

"What?" She asked after he'd been staring for longer than was probably polite.

"Nothing," he said with a grin. "Just making a memory."

Her nervous glanced faded into a smirk. "Oh okay, well go on then." She leaned back on the heels of her hands then and let him get as long and thorough of a look as he wanted. "Take it all in."

He laughed lightly at her show of confidence and admired the way their activity so far and the heat from the running shower flushed her cheeks. He stepped in between her legs again and brought one hand to the side of her face, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb. "You're beautiful. You know that, don't you?"

She shook her head at him and smiled shyly. "I'm a music nerd with half of a history degree and a klutz who trips over long dresses. I can't say I think of myself that way."

"Alright," Wyatt told her as he met her bashful brown eyes. "Then I guess I'll have to keep reminding you."

"You know, you may try to come across as a grump, Wyatt Logan, but you are a straight up hopeless romantic," Lucy said as her smile widened and warmed and she leaned into his hand on her cheek.

He chuckled and then gave her a barely noticeable nod. "You're the only person who's allowed to know that, okay?"

"Fine by me," she agreed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'd much rather this part of you be all mine."

"At this point, ma'am, I'm pretty sure every part of me is all yours."

The words slipped out easily. They'd only known each other a short time and yet those words felt natural. It still baffled him how truly easy it was to love Lucy Preston with everything he had in him.

She pulled him to her then in a searing kiss. While she kissed him his hands found the clasp of her bra and undid it. It went lax over her shoulders and breasts. Lucy's hands traveled downward and slipped underneath the elastic waistband of his shorts and his boxers. She pushed them both down until Wyatt was able to step out of them and kick them free. While he stepped out of his boxers she slipped her arms out of her bra straps and let the bra join his boxers and shorts on the bathroom floor.

Lucy pushed Wyatt back a few paces with a hand placed on his chest and hopped down from the bathroom counter top. Wyatt's eyes were instantly drawn to her breasts as they moved with the motion. Lucy smirked at him and slowly slid her lace panties off and down her legs. She discarded them and then stepped into the spray of the shower.

She curled her finger at him in a beckoning gesture and he followed almost immediately. He didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

Wyatt had her pressed up against the tile wall of the shower at a remarkable speed. Not that she was complaining. She would never complain about the feeling of his hard bare chest up against her softer one. His lips slammed against hers and his hands cupped her breasts, thumbs ghosting over her very hard nipples. Her arms wrapped around his neck and clutched him tightly. If she didn't she was certain she'd fall bonelessly to the floor of the shower.

One of Wyatt's hands left her breasts to hitch her leg up around his waist and she immediately felt him pressed against her slick center, hot and hard. She moaned into Wyatt's mouth and rolled her hips against him. He broke the kiss for a moment to press his face into her neck and shoulder with a muffled curse.

She smirked at the reaction she caused and took that as encouragement to grind herself against him again.

" _Fuck_."

He'd said it louder that time.

"Yes, please," Lucy said with a merry laugh.

She heard Wyatt's chuckle, low and deep, against the curve of her neck a moment before he buried himself deeply inside of her. She gasped at how perfectly they fit and wondered if she would ever get used to it. She had never fit so perfectly with another person in her life. Sex had never once been _this_ for her. It was never full of frenzied passion mixed with genuine affection and care. She'd just regained her ground from him sliding inside of her when suddenly he moved.

Even a fraction of an inch sent goosebumps over her entire body.

What followed was an explosion of needy gasps, intrusive kisses, throaty moans, and appreciative sighs. Hands were everywhere and so were lips and tongues. The spray of the water added a new sensation to her now sensitive skin. Every touch felt ten times more intense than it should have, whether it was a touch of Wyatt's hand, tongue, or the water spray didn't matter.

Movements became more urgent the closer they came to release and the tension coiled inside of her. They were perfectly in sync with their push and pull and give and take. Wyatt's thumb very barely brushed across her clit and that was all it took to send her plummeting over the edge.

They hadn't been together long but they did this enough for Lucy to know one important thing about Wyatt Logan.

He liked to watch her release. He would hold his own off for as long as possible just to watch her let go first. A moment after she went limp against him, he was falling over the edge too with his cheek pressed against hers and his heavy breathing in her ear.

As they both recovered he pressed kisses to her temple, her ear, her jaw. Soft sweet kisses that caused a flutter in her stomach.

"God, I love you," she heard herself say as he placed a kiss to the top her soaked head of hair.

He pulled back to meet her eyes and the pure warmth and affection she saw in them nearly made her cry. No one had ever looked at her like that before. Not before him.

"Love you too," he replied as he pressed his forehead to hers with a contented sigh. "We didn't get much actual showering done, though."

She laughed and then reached over and behind him for his shampoo bottle. "Don't move."

With his arms still around her and her chest still pressed against his, she squirted a small amount of shampoo into her hand and then scrubbed it through his hair until his hair was full of suds. He tilted his head back into the spray and she ran her fingers through his hair to help him wash it out. Once the shampoo was out though, she continued to massage his scalp. His eyes closed and his expression looked so serene and content that she didn't want to stop.

"That's it," Wyatt said with a smirk, though his eyes were still closed. "It's decided, we're showering like this every day."

She laughed and shook her head at him. "I feel like this wouldn't be very productive."

He opened bright blue his eyes and grinned slowly before letting out a mirthful laugh. "I don't know seemed pretty productive to me. We got quite a lot accomplished from where I stand."

She rolled her eyes at him with a bright smile. "Not the kind of productive I mean," she said as she set the bottle of two-in-one shampoo and conditioner aside and reached for Wyatt's shower gel. She now knew where his very masculine scent came from. God, would it be weird to buy this shower gel for herself? It smelled so deliciously like Wyatt.

"Oh, you mean in the sense that you actually manage to clean yourself up?" He asked with a grin as she rubbed his shower gel over his back and shoulders. "It seems to me we're still accomplishing that."

"Yeah, well, it would be hard for me to shave my legs with you on top of me for my entire shower so what works for you wouldn't be so practical for me," Lucy replied with a raised teasing brow.

"Okay, fine, how about only when I shower?" He asked with a smirk.

"Oh, so that means I'm taking twice as many showers?" She asked him with a laugh. "You sure you want to use that much water? Aren't we in a drought?"

"When is California _not_ in a drought?" Wyatt replied with a wink. "I think the state of California would allow me a little more water usage for shower sex. Especially when it's _this good_."

Lucy didn't think she'd ever laughed so much with a man in her life. He just kept making her laugh and, good god, did she hope he never stopped. "We _are_ good. Aren't we?"

"The best of the best, ma'am," he said with a crooked smirk, causing one dimple to show itself on his cheek.

He was addictive and dangerous and yet so safe all at once. He was everything she never knew she was needed and he proved that a little more each day. It didn't matter how little they'd known each other or how much they still had to learn, she knew he was it. He was her meant to be, and that admission meant so much more from her when you considered she spent most of her life believing 'meant to be's didn't exist.

The Universe must have spent a long time laughing at her while her path wound its way to Wyatt Logan.

' _Look at this girl who doesn't believe,' The Universe declared with a loud booming laugh. 'Well I'll show her.'_

' _Alright fine, Universe,' she thought. 'You win.'_

"The best of the best," she repeated with a huge beaming smile. The most wonderful part about that statement was that she knew they _both_ believed it. They actually _were_ the best of the best.


	17. Carefree

Okay, so Lucy was right. She beat him. He'd set an easy course of two miles at the park not far from his apartment and she'd lapped him. He couldn't even catch her. Of course, part of it could be she was wearing these little shorts that were loose but had a compression lining so they fit her too damn well. And then her legs were on full display. Those legs he'd run his hands up and down the length of the night before...

Yeah, he might have been a bit distracted.

She stood at the end of the trail with her hands on her hips waiting for him catch up. The smug smile on her face was more attractive than it should have been.

"You had to win by so much?" He asked with a grin. "You couldn't take it easy on me?"

Lucy laughed and shook her head. "Hell, no, Logan. I can't beat you at much when it comes to physical activities but I can beat you at this and I plan to enjoy it."

He bent at the waist and put his hands on his knees while he tried to catch his breath.

"Wow, you didn't have to run _that_ hard," she told him with a chuckle as she handed him her bottle of water.

"Yeah, I did or else you'd have lapped me two times and I never would have lived it down," he told her as he straightened up and drank about half the bottle before he gave it back to her.

She finished it off and then tossed the bottle in recycling. When she came back to face him she wrapped her arms around him and then pressed a kiss to the hinge of his jaw. He was still breathing pretty heavily, though that might not have been because of the run. It could be because of the bossy know it all currently wrapped completely around him. His arms went around her in return as he continued to try and calm himself down enough to catch a deep breath.

"You're cute," she said with a chuckle. "Thinking you could beat me. Adorable."

He shook his head at her and chuckled. "I'm seeing a whole new competitive side to you today, Ms. Preston."

"I've got many layers, Wyatt," she said with a playful overdramatic voice. "I'm a layered individual."

He laughed and squeezed her a little tighter. "That much I knew."

He pulled out of the embrace but left his arm around her shoulders and started to walk them back toward his apartment.

"We should do this again," Lucy told him with a bright smile. "This was fun."

"It was fun for you cause you kicked my ass."

"Doesn't matter _why_ it was fun," she said with teasing grin.

He smirked at her and then placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "We'll do it again, same time next week," he said against her hair before he straightened up to wink at her. "And next week I'll win."

"Keep dreaming," Lucy said with a scoff.

Self assured Lucy was goddamn attractive. "Okay, as long as you're in them," he answered with a suggestive smirk.

"Oh my god!" Lucy exclaimed with a laugh. "That was both dorky and smooth all at once! Nice!"

"You loved it," Wyatt told her with a chuckle. "You can admit it."

"Please tell me you were better at flirting in high school and age has just dulled your wit?" She asked as she poked his side playfully.

"You know, you are being awfully sassy this morning," Wyatt said with an amused grin.

She shrugged her shoulder that wasn't pressed against him. "I mean I'm in a good mood. I kicked your ass. It's a good feeling."

"Go ahead. Rub it in," Wyatt said with a smile and a roll of his eyes.

"You love it, you can admit it," she said with a wink as she threw his own words back at him. "Race you to the apartment!"

And then she was off. He reached to grab her too late and she slipped from his grasp. He shook his head with a laugh and then followed after her. Life with Lucy Preston would never be boring. That was for sure.

She hadn't run so fast this time. He knew because he managed to catch her by the waist halfway down the hall to his door. If she'd really been running he wouldn't have caught her at all. She giggled as he used his hold to pull her back against his chest. She struggled half heartedly against him before she finally sagged against him and turned in his arms.

"Alright, you got me," she replied with an amused smile. "You can let me go now."

"I don't trust you not to run off," Wyatt answered with a laugh. "So, I think I'll just keep a hold of you for now."

"The apartment is still a few doors away so are we just going to stand here?" She asked.

She thought she had him there, and that he would have to let her go. Her smug smile told him so.

"No," he said with a smirk.

"Then how do you expe-"

Her sentence stopped short when he, in one quick motion, bent slightly and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She let out a surprised squeal that was followed by a rolling high pitched giggle.

"Oh my god, you did not," she said through her giggles.

Yeah, it was official. Lucy Preston's giggle was now his favorite sound in the world.

The door to their right opened and an elderly woman stood in the doorway with a glare on her face. She looked prepared to scold them until she actually got a good look at them and her stern eyes softened immediately.

"Well what in the world, Wyatt," she said as she feigned exasperation.

He smiled politely and nodded his head at the elderly woman. "Mrs. Marcus, good morning. Sorry if we disturbed you, ma'am."

Mrs. Marcus could be a grumpy old bird, but generally she just wanted someone to talk to. Wyatt found himself entering the building at the same time as her occasionally and he was known to help her with her groceries or any packages left for her outside of her door. As far as he knew, he was the only person in the building she bothered to talk to. He was the only fellow Texan she'd met in nearly twenty years so she had taken a liking to him fairly quickly.

"No, no. No bother. I thought you were those obnoxious neighbor kids from down the hall. But this is a much more welcome sight," Mrs. Marcus said as she quirked a brow at him. "Boy, what in the world are you doing to that poor girl?"

"Being a brute," Lucy said from over his shoulder. He could hear the grin in her voice though.

"She was being a bit of a bossy brat, ma'am," Wyatt answered with a smirk as he ignored Lucy's comment.

"Mmhm," Mrs. Marcus said with amused eyes. Her lips were in a firm line but he could see them twitching upward. She stepped out into the hall and walked around to talk to Lucy. "What's your name, gal?"

"Lucy. Lucy Preston."

He could hear both amusement and resignation in Lucy's tone. He assumed amusement that Mrs. Marcus didn't seem at all bothered by the sight of Wyatt Logan with a woman thrown over his shoulder and resignation because she figured out he wasn't putting her down anytime soon.

"Well, nice to meet you, Lucy. I'm Virginia Marcus."

"Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Marcus."

He turned his head slightly and could see Mrs. Marcus shaking Lucy's hand. He let out a little chuckle that resulted in Lucy swatting his back.

Mrs. Marcus moved to stand in front of him again and not-so-gently patted his cheek. "A smile looks good on you, boy. I think this is her doin' and I hope I see it more often. Ain't no need for such a handsome face to look so grumpy all the time." She turned and waved a dismissive hand over her shoulder. "Y'all younguns carry on with your business. Don't mind me!"

The door shut behind her and Wyatt immediately heard Lucy laugh. "I think she has a crush on you. Does that Texas charm get you out of trouble all the time?"

He bounced her on his shoulder and she let out a little yelp before grabbing his shirt to steady herself.

"Wyatt!" She yelled as he continued his march down the hall. "This is so embarrassing."

He laughed as he pulled out his keys and unlocked his door. "Hey, you're the one that kept trying to run away, Preston. You've got no one to blame but yourself."

He set her down on her feet once the door was open with a lopsided smirk.

"Ladies first," he said as he gestured for her to step inside the apartment before him.

"Oh, okay _now_ you want to treat me like a lady but just a few seconds ago you were-"

He cut off her snarky comment by pressing his lips to hers and kissing her slowly. Her hands slipped up his arms, passed his shoulders and then into the short hair at the base of his neck. Her lips parted and he wasted no time deepening the kiss. He had her pressed against the door frame, as his front door remained open. His hands were on her hips, sliding under the fabric of her cotton t-shirt.

Lucy broke the kiss (kisses?) with a wicked grin. "We should probably take this inside and close the door, don't you think?"

She removed her arms from around his neck and then they travelled back down until he felt her fingers hook around the elastic waistband of basketball shorts and yank him forward. He laughed at her sudden assertive attitude and barely had time to reach for door knob behind him as she pulled him over the threshold. He pulled the door shut and turned the deadbolt. Barely even half a minute later, their shirts were discarded and Lucy was pushing him back onto his couch. He was laying longways across it as she slowly straddled him. She lowered her chest to his and as she did her brown hair fell around them like a curtain.

Her expression grew serious and tender as she brought one hand up to softly caress his face. Her light touch ran across his cheeks, his brow, the edge of his jaw, and then finally across his lips.

"Your neighbor was right," Lucy said quietly with a gentle smile. "Your face is much too handsome to look so grumpy. I like seeing you smile and laugh like you have today. Carefree looks very attractive on you, Wyatt Logan."

Carefree? Is that really what he was today? He had to admit, he felt lighter. He hadn't looked over his shoulder once nor had he thought about the Noah problem. All he'd known so far today was Lucy.

"Never been carefree a day in my life," Wyatt told her honestly as he took her hand that had caressed his face. He pressed his lips to her palm before he continued. "I'm completely certain _you_ are the only reason I feel that way now."

Her eyes misted over for a moment before her affectionate smile turned into a smirk.

"Well," she said as she lightly bumped her nose against his and grazed his lips with hers. "Why don't you show me just how _carefree_ you can be."

On the word carefree ground herself against him, causing an irresistible friction of fabric and body heat that resulting in a low groan from deep in his throat.

His hands drifted of their own volition into her brown hair as it surrounded them.

"Don't mind if I do," he said just before he pulled her lips to his in a hard and insistent kiss.

* * *

They were going to be a little late to Dave and Celia's. Lucy was okay with that. Especially considering why they were late. The smile never once left her face as she got dressed. Probably because Wyatt kept coming up with little excuses to touch her. He'd made a game of it because she told him if he didn't stop touching her they would never make it out of the apartment.

" _Fine by me,"_ he said with his trademark crooked grin that would be forever burned into her memory.

But it hadn't kept them from going and they were now in his Jeep on their way to Dave and Celia's new house. Wyatt had one hand on the wheel while his other hand held one of hers. Their fingers were laced together while his thumb absently caressed her hand. This all felt so unbelievably comfortable.

Celia was going to be incredibly smug the minute they stepped out of Wyatt's Jeep. The two of them had to be obvious with their affection by now. After sharing the same space rather successfully for a few days and having a lot of sinful fun in addition to the domesticity, it would be strange if their intense and ever growing connection _didn't_ show itself.

It was odd to think that just a few days ago Lucy had convinced herself that her lack of chemistry with Noah was okay, and that she didn't need it because that wasn't what relationships were about. She thought Noah was probably the best she would be able to get. But Lucy from a few days ago never saw Wyatt Logan coming and because of him everything had changed.

She deserved passion and chemistry. She deserved to be really loved for everything she was, flaws and all. Wyatt gave her just that.

Dave and Celia's house was a quaint cottage style house with a generous backyard. Dave had apparently worked for weeks before they moved in building a patio barbeque area and today was just the perfect day to enjoy it.

The door opened and Celia was the first person to greet them. She gave Lucy a knowing glance as she spotted their entwined hands and close proximity but didn't say anything. She hugged them both and then ushered them inside.

"You guys are a little late, aren't you?" Celia asked them with a smirk.

"We lost track of the time," Lucy answered. It was partially true.

"Yeah, I bet you did," Celia said before she laughed lightly.

"Cely!" Lucy admonished.

"Oh, what? Come on," Celia said as she rolled of her eyes. "We're friends. You can be honest."

"I'd rather not," Wyatt replied. "Because that tends to be a two way street and if we start telling you and Dave what we're up to then I'm gonna have to hear, in detail, what the two of you are up to and I don't see that going well."

"Oh, fine," Celia agreed before she threw a wink at Lucy. "You and I will talk later."

Wyatt shook his head in exasperation. "So, where's Dave?"

"At the grill, where else?" Celia answered with a chuckle. "Follow me."

Celia led them through the cozy house, giving them a brief tour as they went, and then out a sliding glass door and into a backyard with a stone patio, a small flower garden, and a modest sized pool.

Dave waved from his spot in front of the grill and then came over to them.

Celia leaned toward Lucy whisper as he did. "Watch, here comes the cool guy handshake slash hug."

Lucy bit back a laugh as Wyatt and Dave first shook hands before a quick short hug that resulted in the men lightly slapping each other's backs.

"See, they can't just hug. No, not these Delta Force soldiers," Celia whispered before she grinned at Lucy and let out a chuckle.

Lucy laughed softly and shook her head.

"What are you two laughing at?" Wyatt asked as he glared at them suspiciously.

"Us," Dave answered. "Celia is always laughing at me."

"No, babe," Celia corrected. "Not at you, _with you_."

He scoffed before grinning at her. "That only works if I'm laughing too, _babe_."

"Tomato, tomahto," Celia said with a smirk and a shrug.

"Why do I put up with this?" Dave asked Wyatt while smiling playfully at his wife.

"Beats me," Wyatt answered with a chuckle as he made his way back to Lucy's side. "Your wife's kind of a pestering meddler in my opinion."

The teasing smirk on Wyatt's face caused a little flutter in Lucy's stomach.

"That's true," Lucy agreed. "I can vouch for that."

"Oh fine," Celia told her with a feigned resentful glare. "Just see if I set you up on any more dates then."

"You better not," Wyatt fired back. "Unless you're setting her up with me again."

"I wouldn't ask her too anyway," Lucy said with a smirk as she looked at Wyatt. "You and I were a fluke for her. You should have seen the last guy she set me up with. Not good."

"Hey! That was not my fault! I didn't know I had to tell a guy _not_ to bring a puppet on a date. I didn't even know I was supposed to ask if the guy had a puppet," Celia yelled. "So can you stop beating me over the head with that?"

"Why did he have a puppet though? Why would he bring it _on a date?_ " Lucy asked her with a confused expression. "That still baffles me."

"Men are weird," Celia said with a shake of her head.

Dave opened his mouth to speak but Celia smacked his arm first.

"So help me if you say 'not all men' I will shove you into this pool," she threatened with a playful glare.

Dave quickly shut his mouth, with his lips pressed tightly together and then shook his head. "I would never say such a thing. I know it makes you irrationally angry and I in no way find you very attractive when you're angry."

"Lies," Celia said with a laugh. "Everything you just said was a lie."

Lucy and Wyatt shared a grin as they watched their friends flirt back and forth. For Lucy, watching Celia and Dave, who have known each other since they were teenagers, still manage to laugh and enjoy the other's company was encouraging. She occasionally worried that she and Wyatt were in a honeymoon phase and that once that ended so would they. But standing in her best friend's backyard while Celia exchanged teasing banter with her husband, Lucy wondered if that would ever be her and Wyatt.

She froze and forced the thoughts away. No. _No. Too soon, Preston. Too soon._ Wyatt must have sensed her distress. (How did he do that?) She felt his hand on the small of her back before he pulled her into his side. She smiled softly at him and wrapped her arms around his middle. His hand moved from the small of her back to her hip while she rested her head against his shoulder.

Much better, she thought as a sense of calm washed over her. From the minute she'd seen him across that tent a week ago he had been able to do _this._ Calm her, center her. Soothe her. No one had been able do that so quickly or effectively before.

"You guys gonna bicker all day," Wyatt asked with a smirk. "Or are we gonna eat? There is food here, right? We were told this was a cookout?"

"Alright, smart ass, hold your horses," Dave replied. He rolled his eyes with a grin and made his way back to the grill.

Wyatt pressed a kiss to Lucy's temple and then led them toward the nearby picnic table that was already set for four.

Celia caught Lucy's gaze as she sat down at the table and, like Lucy expected, she looked completely smug. She was never going to let Lucy forget this. But then it was all worth it for Wyatt Logan. She knew that for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: More with Celia and Dave next chapter! ;) Thanks for reading!


	18. Baggage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Posting this before the episode tonight because it involves a few things about Jess and I just feel like I should post it before we learn about actual Jess in canon. I am also going to take just a week long break from this story because I think I might be losing track of it a little bit. I should be back with an update next Sunday. :)  
> In the meantime, happy reading!  
> angellwings  
> PS - There are some references to 2x02 in this chapter so if you haven't seen it yet (though that begs the question, why haven't you seen it yet? it was so good!)

After they were done eating, the women and the men separated, as somehow always inevitably happened with these things, and Wyatt ended up being shown around the back half of Dave and Celia's land.

"Probably going to have a garage built back here pretty soon. Need a place for my Camaro. Can't exactly leave a '63 Camaro in the driveway year around," Dave said as he motioned to an empty area of the yard with a beer bottle in his hand.

"Man, you lucked out with that car," Wyatt told him. Yeah, he preferred any model car from the fifties but an early 1960s Camaro still left him unbelievably jealous.

"That's the only good thing my dad ever left me," Bam-Bam said with a laugh.

Wyatt never realized how many people had dad's that were just as big of a bastard as his until he enlisted. He and Dave first bonded over how horrible their fathers were. They had both made peace with it so they could mostly laugh about it now.

"Better than mine," Wyatt said with a smirk. "Though to be fair I did that to myself. Coulda treated that old Chevy better if I'd wanted to."

"Driving it into a lake probably did more for you than having to keep it up, though," Dave told him with a chuckle.

"Can't argue with that." Wyatt nodded and took a swig of his own beer.

"You told Lucy about that, yet?"

Wyatt looked over at Dave and found him smirking with a knowing look. He knew the answer.

"Hell no, man. We're already moving pretty fast. I gotta save some things for later."

"Yeah, telling her about the drug running should come after cohabitation," Dave said through a light laugh. "Makes sense."

"I'm surprised Jess stuck with me through all that shit," Wyatt admitted with a shake of his head. "All of that and it was the army that did us in."

"The difference between illegal activities and the Army is that one can be done at home and the other means distance and silence." Dave shrugged as if it was an everyday comparison and then continued. "When you were breaking the law you were always around. It probably made it easier for her to cope."

He and Dave never really talked about Jessica. Until today, Wyatt had tried to avoid the topic whenever possible. But for some reason today thinking about his failure with Jessica wasn't nearly as painful as it used to be.

"I've dwelled on Jess for a long time," Wyatt admitted. "Trying to figure out if I could have fixed it or prevented us from falling apart. But the thing is, I'm starting to understand now. Lucy said some things to me the night we met and, _goddamn_ , it was like she saw right through me. It got me thinking."

Dave gave Wyatt a small curious smile. "Yeah?"

Dave looked indifferent but Wyatt knew him. Bam-Bam had been trying to get Wyatt to talk about Jessica for years. In his opinion it would only do Wyatt good to talk about it. Wyatt vehemently disagreed. But he'd been thinking about this for a week now and he had reached a point where he actually _wanted_ to talk it out.

"Things with Jess were their best when I was lost--when I didn't know who the hell I was or who I was meant to be. The minute I started to put that all together and make my life mean something was the same minute she and I started fighting. She signed up for the hot headed screw up she thought she could have to herself and what she got was a stubborn soldier she had to share with her country. We were both hanging on to who the other used or be and we stopped seeing each other for who we actually were." Wyatt paused and sighed. "And I let the words she hurled at me in our fights change the way I saw myself. She always brought up old shit to use against me too--the things I put her through when we were kids--like that was proof everything was my fault. She probably didn't mean most of it. God knows I didn't mean half the things I yelled at her in return, but it crept into the way I saw myself just the same. I saw myself as the bad guy. Some monster who was just the same as..."

"Your old man?" Dave asked with an understanding nod.

"Yeah," Wyatt said with a heavy swallow.

"I never met your old man, Logan," Dave told him. "But I know you and, brother, there's nobody else I'd rather have watching my six than you and I don't just mean out in the field. You're not him. You couldn't be. Yeah, you've done some shit you probably regret but who hasn't? It doesn't make you and _him_ the same. Trust me, I've been through that realization myself. You and me, we choose to be better men and that conscious choice to be better is the very thing that means we will _never_ be our fathers."

Wyatt nodded and stared thoughtfully at the grass as he processed Dave's words. He could feel how right those words were in his gut. He would not become his father simply because Wyatt made every effort to be a better man than his father ever was. It was simple but true.

That, in combination with Lucy's assurances that he wasn't the bad guy, resulted in a weight being lifted that he hadn't even known was there. Not until Lucy saw straight through him that night at the bar.

"You know, I could build this garage big enough for my Camaro and a Harley," Dave said after a prolonged moment of silence.

Wyatt scoffed and then laughed. "You think Celia's going to let you get a Harley?"

Dave instantly deflated. "No, definitely not."

Just like that, the serious moment was over and they went back to talking about cars and sports. Dave hadn't once brought up their conversation from yesterday and Wyatt was relieved. He and Lucy spent two days specifically not thinking about the Noah problem and he didn't want burst that bubble until he absolutely had to.

* * *

Celia had taken Lucy on a detailed tour of their cozy house. It was the perfect size for a young couple with some room to grow still. They were now sitting down at the kitchen table after putting away leftovers and cleaning the dishes.

"This is perfect for you and Dave," Lucy told her. "Beautiful."

"We really love it," Celia agreed. "The only drawback is the lack of a garage. The carport is apparently not good enough for Dave's precious Camaro."

Lucy chuckled. "Of course not."

"So, you're really going for it with Wyatt, huh?" Celia asked her with a pleased grin.

"I don't think I'd ever forgive myself if I didn't go for it," Lucy told her.

"Has he talked to you about the job yet?" Celia asked. "I remember Dave being very anxious about that conversation."

"We talked about it and I'm under no impression that it will be easy, but it doesn't seem impossible to me. Certainly it's not enough of a problem to convince me to give him up. Honestly, I think...I think I'm happy with whatever time he's able to give me," Lucy admitted. She smiled softly at Celia and shrugged. "Even if that means long stretches without him."

"Remember my wedding last week when you were amazed at my answer?" Celia asked her with a chuckle. "Well, now you sound like me."

"It's only been a week," Lucy said with an awed expression and a shake of her head. She knew, she did, but hearing it out loud made it seem even more unbelievable. "How has it only been a week?"

"With the way he's been looking at you, I'm not really sure myself. Is his apartment in some sort of time warp or something? Because I feel like you two act like you've known each other for longer than you have," Celia told her.

"You know, it's weird, I've never felt like I had to hide anything from him," Lucy said with a grin. "I mean, it's not like he knows everything there is to know about me, but he knows all the important things."

"The accident?" Celia asked in surprise.

Lucy nodded. "That was actually one of the first things I told him."

"Damn, you barely even talk to me or Amy about that. How did he manage that?"

Lucy smiled warmly and shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

"Well, I'm happy for you," Celia said with a wide grin. "I'm happy for him too. Dave said the way things ended with his ex really messed him up. I don't know Wyatt too well. I'd only met him a handful of times before the wedding but even I can tell he looks much more at peace around you."

"He does?" Lucy asked eagerly.

Celia nodded. "From my point of view, you seem to do wonders for each other."

Lucy pondered that for a moment, letting the quiet stretch out around them.

When Celia felt it went on too long, though, she was quick to break it.

"So, how's the sex?"

Lucy gave her friend a startled look and then laughed hysterically. "Oh god, don't hedge around it, Cely. Go ahead, ask."

"Oh come on, look at that guy, he's extremely attractive and he knows it too," Celia told her with a grin. "That has to make things extra delicious."

"Okay, one, you are married. Two, back off, he's mine. Three, oh god does it ever."

Celia laughed and nodded. "I thought so."

"Oh my god, Celia, I have never in my life felt so exotic or sexy as I do with him. I mean, I'm not a stranger to sex, I'm really not. But I have never had anything this _good_ ," Lucy admitted with a bashful grin. Her face flushed as she talked, partly because she was embarrassed to talk about it but mostly because she was remembering what they had done that very morning on his living room couch.

Celia smirked and fanned Lucy with a nearby cookbook. "Calm down, Preston. Save it for when you get him alone tonight."

Lucy brought her hands to her flushed cheeks and giggled wildly. "This is so not me. This has never been me. How did this happen?"

Celia shrugged and grinned at her. "You fell in love. Might seem crazy in less than a week, but there's no doubt in my mind that that's what is happening here. You told me once that you've never been in love before so, actually my friend, this _is you_. This is your brain on love, passion, and Wyatt Logan. Enjoy it."

"Oh, I have been," Lucy said with a bright smile. "Frequently."

Celia laughed and held out her hand for a high five. "Oh god, I love this new you. You're too fun."

Lucy chuckled and high fived Celia. "I like this new me too. I think I'll keep her."

* * *

Wyatt thought they were clear on any talk of his panic from earlier in the week but, as Dave was showing him the shed he'd built in the back corner of the yard, he realized he was wrong.

"So," Dave said as he sat down on the riding lawn mower that was parked in the small shed. "Are we going to talk about your panicked phone call from a few days ago or what?"

"I told you," Wyatt replied with a shrug. "It's nothing to worry about. I've got it under control."

"Cut the bull shit, man," Dave said with a shake of his head. "I know what you sound like in a crisis situation, remember? Whatever reason you needed to find Lucy was serious. And now she's living with you? Something happened. So what was it?"

Wyatt gave his friend a long hesitant glance before he sighed tiredly and finally answered him. "I'm fairly certain her ex has people staking out her apartment."

Dave's eyes widened and he stood from his seat on the mower. "Shit. Are you kidding me?"

Wyatt shook his head. "That day I called you he showed up at _my_ grocery store, in my neighborhood, and talked to me like he knew everything about me. My name, my rank, my past. Lucy never told him she was seeing someone else so there's only one way he could have known about me--"

"He's watching her," Dave agreed with a thoughtful nod. "Did you call Mikey?"

"Yeah, just waiting for a call back," Wyatt told him. "He said he'd call when he had something to report."

"Did he threaten her?" Dave asked with a slight glare. Wyatt smirked slightly at that. It was nice to know Dave liked Lucy enough to feel protective of her.

"No," Wyatt answered.

"Did he threaten you?"

"Yes, But honestly my only concern is making sure that son of a bitch never lays a hand on Lucy again," Wyatt said through a tense jaw.

"Again? You mean he--that asshat has hurt her before?" Dave asked. Wyatt saw recognition flash across his eyes and knew his friend had noticed the soft purple mark on Lucy's arm. "The bruise on her arm? He did that?"

"After she ended it," Wyatt said. He fisted his hands at his sides and fought the urge to punch the wall. He would probably tear a hole in Dave's shed if he did and that wouldn't exactly be polite. Dave's voice broke him out of his violent thoughts.

"I know you think it's just one guy, but you and I have been on enough assignments to know how _insane_ one guy can be. If you need help with this then _call me_. You didn't just get back from an assignment to get hurt while you're on leave, man." Dave gave him a pointed look as he talked that stressed how worried he was, and how serious he was about his offer to help.

Wyatt was used to working with a team so he understood the value of asking for help, but Noah wasn't Dave's problem. Dave was still actively on an assignment. He didn't need the additional stress.

"You're the first call I make if I need help," Wyatt lied. He must have been convincing because Dave let the question of needing help drop.

"Did Mikey say how long he might need for surveillance?"

"A few days at least, and it's been about three since I called him," Wyatt answered impatiently.

"What if this guy is too good to be followed and you don't end up with any proof? What then?" Dave asked.

"This guy was cocky, Bam-Bam. He believed he had the upper hand. He's over confident. He's not _that_ good. He'll slip up and Mikey will call me. This guy is a doctor, not a spy," Wyatt replied with a smirk.

"So, your plan is to get the evidence and go to the police?" Dave asked with a thoughtful expression.

"At the very least it'll get Lucy additional protection while the cops do their own investigation," Wyatt said. There were flaws in his plan, he knew. But he wasn't on assignment, he couldn't do much more than turn Noah over to the police.

"What happens if gets out? If they assign bail, he pays it, and he gets out, what happens then? Because you know, a guy like that who tried to hurt her once before and threatened you won't just let it go--"

"Yeah, I know. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. One problem at a time," Wyatt told him with a helpless shrug.

"This is seriously FUBAR, man," Dave said. He furrowed his brow worriedly and then sighed. "I met Lucy's ex once. I pegged him for a boring phony, sure, but not _crazy_."

"When he talked to me at the store he said some genuinely bat shit crazy things. He really believes he and Lucy are fated to be together or something. He talked like Lucy would eventually have no choice but to come back to him. It made me want to--it made me want to grab Lucy and run away. I'm _never_ one to run away from a fight but the way he talked had me less concerned with him and more concerned with keeping Lucy safe. So, the bastard may not look it but he is frighteningly crazy. After all that talk and his not-so-subtle threats he walked away _amused_."

Wyatt hadn't told anyone but Lucy all of these details and even then he dialed back his worries for her sake. This was really the first time he just let himself talk about it. This situation was something he could trust Dave to understand.

"I probably would have punched the guy's lights out in the grocery store and ended up arrested for assault if it had been me," Dave admitted. "If somebody had ever talked to me about Celia that way...I don't think I could have held back."

"If I hadn't been so focused on getting to Lucy, honestly, I probably would have ended up arrested too," Wyatt agreed. "But the minute he started talking all I wanted was to keep her in my sight. Make sure he couldn't get to her."

"And that's when you called me?" Dave asked.

"Yeah, I would have freaked Lucy out if I called her and I knew you'd know where the band was recording."

"You must really love her, brother," Dave said with a soft chuckle. "I haven't seen you this concerned with another person's comfort and safety in a long time. I hate that the situation is as fucked up as it is, but I am glad to see that this side of you is still there."

"What side of me?" Wyatt asked in confusion.

"Man, protection and safety is how you show people you care. Not to get touchy feely on you or anything, but since you decided you didn't deserve to be happy you've been pretty indifferent to the world around you. This guy that I've been talking to today is fighting for something and someone. This guy is actually living his life and not going through the motions. You're actively protecting and caring for someone else. I was worried you might continue to punish yourself, for something that wasn't entirely your fault by the way, and miss out. I hate these circumstances, but I'm relieved to see you allowing yourself care."

Wyatt fiddled with the beer bottle in his hands while Dave talked. He was trying to listen and process his friend's words as he peeled back the label on the bottle. Was that true? He wasn't surprised when the answer came back to him quickly. Yes, that was true. He refused to let himself move on from Jess because he didn't think he deserved to and he basically shut down. He didn't deserve to care for someone or be cared about in return or so he thought.

It took Lucy, with her bright laugh and playful banter, to even force him to consider caring for another person. The fact that she could be as beautiful and talented as she was and not see that Noah wasn't worthy of her had forced him into action. In his way, he was trying to protect her from Noah even then.

He knew immediately there was a connection but he never saw love coming. Not that quickly. He thought he was better for it, but hearing Dave echo that reinforced what Wyatt already knew.

Lucy is _it_ for him. She's where his ugly messed up life has been leading him all this time. His past is what it was because it was preparing him for meeting her. For protecting her. _For loving her_.

He was about to admit some of that to Dave, despite the teasing that would follow and the accusations of going soft that would be thrown his way, when his phone started to ring from his back pocket.

He pulled out the phone and gulped nervously. He held it up for Dave to see and his brows rose.

"Mikey," Dave said aloud as he read the caller ID. "Guess he found something after all."


	19. Answers or Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, guys, so sorry this took a week longer than I intended! I decided I wanted to get in as much All In done as I could before 2x06 aired because after that I feel like All In will be canon divergent which meant that since this story is AU anyway it could wait. And then I was stuck with angsty feels cause I'm just a bit mad at both Wyatt and Rufus right now (I still love them but I'm disappointed like I would be in my friends if they acted they way Rufus and Wyatt are acting.) Anyway, here's a Habit update for you, guys.  
> You may want to save it till after tomorrow's episode, though. I feel like we'll all need some cheering up.  
> happy reading!  
> angellwings  
> PS - there are definite sexy times in this chapter, so be warned if that's not your thing.

Wyatt set a meeting with Mikey. He was given no indication of what was found over the phone which could only mean one thing... **.**

It was a "have to see it to believe it" kind of discovery.

That's where they were headed now.

He stopped Lucy at the door to the bar. Mikey had picked a dive bar far enough outside of the city that they wouldn't risk any one they knew stumbling across them.

"Some of what he says might be hard to hear," Wyatt warned her. "Are you sure you want to sit in?"

"I can take it, Wyatt," Lucy assured him. "I need to know what's going on."

Wyatt nodded with a sigh and then opened the door for her. Once they were inside Wyatt spotted Mikey at a table in the back. Wyatt smiled easily at his friend as they briefly hugged and shook hands.

"Imagine meeting a sniper at a dive bar," Wyatt said with a smirk.

"Yeah, imagine that," Mikey said with a scoff.

"Mikey, this is Lucy Preston," Wyatt said as he motioned to Lucy with a small warm smile. "Lucy this is Mike Casper. Ex-US Army and currently our private investigator."

"It's the perfect job for me," Mikey told Lucy with a wink. "They didn't call me Ghost for nothing."

"Wouldn't they have called you that because your last name is Casper?" Lucy asked with a teasing smirk. "I'm not sure that reflects on your job performance."

Mikey's eyes widened and he laughed. "Damn, girl, okay. I probably walked into that one." He turned to Wyatt with an approving glance. "I like her," Mikey said as he nodded in her direction. "She's fiery."

" _She_ is sitting right here and _she_ has a name," Lucy told him.

"Right, right, my bad," Mikey said apologetically, but the grin never fell from his face. "Wyatt's got his hands full with you, huh?"

Wyatt chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Do you mind if we just get to the point?" Lucy asked with an anxious sigh.

Wyatt silently reached over and slid Lucy's chair closer to his so that he could put an arm around her shoulders and pull her to him. It was a welcome reminder that she wasn't alone.

"Absolutely we can, ma'am," Mikey said with a nod.

Wyatt grinned at that and squeezed Lucy's shoulders. "Are you gonna yell at _him_ for calling you 'ma'am' or do you just yell at me?"

"Honestly, I think I've given up the yelling," Lucy said with a chuckle. "There doesn't seem to be a point. You all do it anyway."

"Do what?" Mikey asked.

Wyatt smirked at him and nodded toward Lucy. "This one doesn't like to be called 'ma'am.'"

"Ah, so of course you've been calling her that a lot, ey?" Mikey asked with a laugh. "You're an ass."

"Yeah, Wyatt," Lucy said with a teasing grin. "You're an ass."

He rolled his eyes but grinned back at her. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. What do you have for us, man?"

"Well, let me just say first, as a word of warning," Mikey said as he cleared his throat and looked away from the couple. "This situation is all kinds of fu-" He cut himself off and glanced sideways at Lucy. "uh-reaking messed up."

Despite his actual words, Lucy bit back a chuckle at the way he sidestepped a curse.

"How, exactly?" Wyatt asked.

Mikey sighed and slid a large envelope across the table to them. "I followed this Noah dick for three days. Something he did must have caused someone to panic because the dude had a lot of secret meetings in the back alley of his hospital. All with some _interesting_ characters. They were all yelling at him. I took a few videos enhanced some of the audio. Caught some bits and pieces," Mikey turned to Lucy with an apologetic glance. "This guy is definitely watching your apartment. He's also one step away from having you tailed since you haven't been home in three days. He knows about you and Wyatt, obviously based on what Wyatt told me, and he's probably a day or so away from looking up where Wyatt lives. I'm not sure what his motivations are exactly, but I will say...I am not entirely sure it's all about you."

Lucy brow furrowed at him. Mikey was a big guy. He was tall and broad shouldered and he didn't look like someone you would want to mess with. She could see the tattoos peeking out from under his short sleeves. But during that last sentence, Mikey looked a bit scared. Why would someone like _him_ be scared?

"I don't like the sound of that," Lucy told him before she turned a worried look to Wyatt.

Wyatt gave her a glance that all but voiced his agreement and then he apprehensively reached for the envelope. Whatever was in it, they wouldn't be able to unsee it.

"You sure you want to know?" Wyatt asked as he reached for the twine that held the envelope closed.

"Want to?" She asked nervously. "No. But _have to_? Yes. Open it."

He unwound the twine on the large yellow envelope and then pulled the stack of photos from it. The top photo alone was enough to enrage Wyatt. It was Noah talking to a group of seedy looking men, carrying what Wyatt knew to be surveillance equipment. The heavy duty stuff too. NSA level surveillance gear. Where the hell did a yuppy douchebag doctor get NSA level equipment? Mikey was right. This couldn't just be about Lucy.

He flipped to the next photo of Noah meeting with an older white haired man in an alley. Wyatt held it up for Mikey to see.

"The other guy?" Wyatt asked.

"Ben Cahill," Mikey answered. "Had a buddy do facial rec for me. He's a pediatric surgeon. But from what I could hear they weren't talking about work. It got a little heated."

"Do you think they were talking about me?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, from what I could gather. Couldn't get much audio, just enough to catch your name a couple of times," Mikey told her. He gave Wyatt a wary expression. "The next one is the weirdest one. Just be warned."

Lucy gasped as soon as Wyatt flipped to the next photo. "What the hell? Is that my mother?"

Mikey nodded. "Carol Preston meeting with both Ben Cahill and Noah. Ben and Carol did not look at all pleased and Noah looked like a dog being hit with a rolled up newspaper."

"Okay, I can understand your mother and Noah," Wyatt said as he met Lucy's eyes. "We know they're... _acquainted_ already. But what the hell does this Ben guy have to do with anything?"

"Couldn't tell you," Mikey said with a shake of his head. "Carol didn't seem to value his opinion very much, I _can_ tell you that. There was some kind of worn leather book that Ben took from Noah that Noah seemed highly upset about. But I don't know what he has to do with Lucy. There are some other shadowy figures Noah meets with too. All of them with seemingly innocuous careers like Ben Cahill, but you and I know, Wyatt. We've seen some clandestine shit in our time and no one who's within the law meets in secret like that. _No one_. So whatever it is Carol and Noah are into, it's bigger than stalking Lucy."

"I don't even know what to do with this information," Lucy said with a stunned gaze in Mikey's direction. "Or how to process it."

"One problem at a time," Wyatt told her as he turned his head and placed a kiss on her temple. "We give the police the photos of Noah and the surveillance guys." There were about ten of them and five of them were taken outside of Lucy's building. It was solid evidence. "They'll investigate. Once he's out of the picture we'll figure out who this Ben Cahill guy is. Promise."

"You'll call me and Dave if you need back up, yeah?" Mikey asked Wyatt warily. "I mean I know you're a stubborn bastard, Wyatt Logan, but this is not just one douchebag ex-boyfriend anymore. You may not be able to handle it on your own."

"If I need it, but I'm going to hold off as long as I can," Wyatt told him. "Dave's got an assignment that has him on call at all hours. He got called in right as we left his and Celia's place yesterday."

"Wasn't he supposed to have the day off?" Mikey asked. "What's so urgent that they couldn't give him the rest of the day?"

"Yeah, exactly. Whatever mission he's on is above both our clearance levels," Wyatt told him pointedly. "He needs to focus on that."

"Back up?" Lucy asked worriedly. "You think you're going to need back up? For _what_?"

Wyatt bit back a curse. He hadn't meant to talk about this in front of Lucy. It would only scare her and she was already frightened enough.

"You don't think...oh god you do. You think Noah might actually come after me?" Lucy asked both men as she looked back and forth across table.

"I've seen it before," Mikey told her, in as gentle a tone as Wyatt had ever heard him use. "Too many times. A guy this determined, this secretive, is a man of action. Maybe not with his own hands, but he's not above spending the money on somebody else's hands."

"He's not getting anywhere near you, Luce," Wyatt told her with a tense jaw. He gritted his teeth and tightened his arm around her before he continued. "You can trust me on that one."

The ride home was quiet. Wyatt glanced over to Lucy every once in a while to find her worrying her bottom lip and and bending one corner of the evidence envelope back and forth as it sat in her lap. He didn't really know what to say. He knew Mikey would find something but he hadn't expected _this_. He hadn't expected to find indications of something highly illegal beyond stalking and he certainly hadn't expected to find Carol Preston so deeply involved in all of it.

Lucy's family had more secrets than she knew. He couldn't imagine what that must feel like. His dad was a bastard but at least he was honest about it. She didn't talk, even as they walked through his building to his front door. She just stared at the envelope as they walked. Once he let them in to his apartment he took the envelope from her hands and tucked it away behind the small collections of cookbooks in his kitchen.

She gave him a questioning look once he was done.

"Out of sight, out of mind," Wyatt told her. "We'll go to the police tomorrow. Worry about it later."

Right now he needed her to know that he was here. That this was his fight as much as hers. And that _no one_ was separating them. Not on his watch.

He crossed the room, back to her side, and immediately pulled her in for a kiss. It was sweet and gentle and meant to be supportive. His hands were on either side of her face with his thumbs softly caressing her cheeks. He felt her wrap her arms around him and press herself against him. She looked too preoccupied earlier, like she was a million miles away. He wanted her _here_ , with him. He moved his hands from her face to her upper arms and pulled back from the small soft kisses to smile warmly at her.

"Better?" He asked.

"Much," she said with a coy grin. "I needed that."

"Me too," he agreed.

"I have a show tonight," she told him softly. "Would you like to come?"

He quirked a brow at her and then smiled slowly. "You mean I'm invited? I'm not banned for being a bit overprotective?"

"As long as you sit in the audience and watch the show? Sure. The minute you start acting like my bodyguard, though, I'm sending you home," Lucy told him with a playful glare.

"I'll be on my best behavior, _ma'am_ ," Wyatt promised with a wicked smirk. "Well, at the show, anyway."

Lucy laughed and blushed. "That's fine with me."

His hands slid down her arms and moved to her waist as his eyes scanned her face, committing every detail to memory. His lips found hers again after a moment of taking her in. Their mouths simultaneously drew in and pushed against each other in a perfect rhythm. As if they'd been doing this for years instead of just over a week. But even having kissed this woman so much, each time still felt new. Her hands that were resting with palms flat on his back traveled upward until she had her hands on his shoulders. She clung to him as tightly as she could while she kissed him with leisurely passion. They had all the time in the world and she knew it. He could feel it in the way she slowly explored his mouth and the way she groaned appreciatively when he slowed their pace. Maybe in other instances they had felt the need to move urgently, but not now. Not this time.

There was a pounding in his chest that at this point was as familiar as an old friend. It happened every time they were this close. His skin practically vibrated with some unknown current of anticipation. Their lips separated just long enough for her to whisper his name and the reverent way she called to him was music to his ears. It would be stuck in his head for the rest of his life, playing on loop at random intervals. Calming his nerves and bringing him peace while causing a spike in his heart rate and a rush of adrenaline all at once.

His hands slipped under the short sleeved blouse she wore, suddenly needing to feel her smooth skin under his callouses. Every curve of her was an addiction that was a part of his bloodstream. He couldn't be without her now. One of his hands skimmed over the curve of her hip, the outside of her thigh, and then gripped under her knee. He hitchched her leg up and around his waist. He circled his other arm around her and held her against him. Lifting her just enough to walk her backward toward his bedroom. Her teeth nipping his bottom lip stopped him in his tracks, a deep guttural moan escaped him and he pressed her against the nearest wall. Just short of his bedroom door. With one of her legs still wrapped around his waist, it left his arousal pressed directly against her heat. He couldn't resist grinding himself against her.

She whimpered and arched against him. His lips fell from hers to burn a trail across neck while his hands quickly unbutton her blouse. The sheer purple blouse fell to the floor, followed shortly by the silky camisole she'd worn underneath it. A moment later the lacy bra she'd put on that morning added to the feminine puddle of clothing on his hallway floor. His lips continued to dip lower and lower until they found her breasts and her hard nipples. The only sound in the entire apartment was the sound of her breathy gasps as she flicked his tongue over one and then the other.

"Wyatt," she said in a raspy, desperate voice.

He knew what she wanted but he wasn't done yet. His kisses continued down her stomach before he straightened up and his lips found hers again, while his hands unbuttoned and unzipped the fly of her jeans. He slid her jeans and her underwear down her hips and her thighs and pulled his mouth away from hers to lean down just enough to slide them the rest of the way off of her legs that he enjoyed so much. He trailed new kisses down in her body, in the valley of her breasts, across her stomach, on one side of each hip until he rested on his knees in front of her.

He took the leg he had hiched over his hip earlier and pulled it over his shoulder. He moved slowly and met her eyes as her leg settled and rested against his back. She was breathing heavily in anticipation. She knew exactly where this was leading. She probably knew all along, from the minute he'd started undressing her but refused to shed any clothes himself. She was a know-it-all, after all, wasn't she?

He held her gaze as he took his first taste of her. She gasped and closed her eyes. The more he tasted then the more her head tilted, her back arched, hands reached blindly across the wall for something to grasp. Her lips parted, mouth fell open with stilted cries and moans. Intimate sounds and images for his eyes and ears only. Everyone of them increasing the buzzing under his skin and the tempo of his heart. His hands traveled when they weren't helping her maintain her balance and her skin felt heated to the touch. Moans mounted in intensity and his name left her lips more frequently, gasps turned to sobs until finally her body went taut against him and her hands dove into his hair.

He didn't pull away until she was panting and sagged against the wall, relying on it to keep her upright. She recovered quickly, though, as he found out when her fingers looped through the belt loops on his jeans and yanked him against her. Her lips slammed against his and their tongues clashed, the taste of her still in his mouth. She wrapped her naked body tightly around him and then turned them so she could walk them through his bedroom door. They stumbled back onto his bed while Lucy pulled the bottom of his t-shirt up and over his head. Her lips scoured his as her hands popped each button on the fly of his jeans.

He pulled back from her and stood next to the bed, slipping off his jeans and boxers. She smiled demurely as she crawled across the mattress, his body crawling after her, until she was sitting at the top of it, leaning against his headboard. He had an arm on either side of her with his hands pressed into the mattress and he leaned over her.

She brought her hands up to caress his cheeks and run through his hair as her bright brown eyes met his and her kiss swollen lips smiled warmly. Breathing proved difficult at the sight of her affection and happiness. He felt an overwhelming sense of disbelief that it was directed at him. But there was no one else in the room so she had to intend it all for him. How he managed to win her over he didn't know, but he was grateful she gave him the chance that led them here. In his apartment, his bed, nothing between them. Not even clothes.

It was more than he hoped to have ever again and he couldn't imagine anyone else making him want this again. Only Lucy would make him yearn for private moments and warm smiles and the possibilities of a future where this might be every day of his life for as long as he lived.

_Only Lucy._


	20. Distractions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** LONG TIME NO SEE. I told you I wasn't done with this. ;) Here is chapter 20. I was going to hold off to post any more of Habit until I finished it completely BUT I didn't want to leave you guys hanging in the meantime. So, here is the last update for now until I have completed this fic. I'm going to sit down and write it all like I do one of my epic one shots and then once I have it done I will post it chapter by chapter. Just to make sure this WILL BE COMPLETED.
> 
> Enjoy! And when you guys see the next chapter, remember this A/N. It will me Habit is complete.
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> angellwings

Later, after Wyatt sufficiently distracted Lucy from the photographs hidden in his kitchen, she had tucked herself into his side with his bed sheets tangled around them. She was staring at him as if she were contemplating something and considering telling him about it. Like she was considering whether or not she was ready for a debate.

"What is it?" He asked when he couldn't take her measuring stare any longer.

"We should stop by the police station on the way to my show."

Okay, maybe he _hadn't_ distracted her after all. "Luce, I told you. We don't have to think about that until tomorrow."

"I know, but I'm not scared anymore, Wyatt. I just...I want this to be over. I want to give them our evidence and finish this. Or at least finish everything with Noah. I don't think I'll be able to focus at the show tonight unless we do that," she admitted as she rolled onto her side and curled further into him.

"Are you sure?" He asked her skeptically. "Earlier, you seemed almost panicked. It's been a long day and I would totally understand-"

She cut him off by placing a kiss on his lips, long and lingering.

"As long as you're with me, I'll be fine," she told him before sighing in contentment and resting her head on his chest. "I know you have my back. I trust you."

"It won't end with Noah's arrest, Lucy. He could still make bail. The charges might not even stick," Wyatt told her nervously. "I'm not sure this will actually be the 'end' of anything."

"I'm aware," she assured him. "But I can't just sit back and do nothing. He threatened you and he's stalking me. We can't let him think he's getting away with that."

"I'm not saying we should. I just...I want you to be prepared in case this doesn't go our way. That's all," he told her as he tightened his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"If it doesn't go our way then I'll still have you," Lucy said with a small shrug. "We'll figure it out."

"You mean make it up as we go?" He asked her with a grin. "I thought you were a planner, Ms. Preston?"

"I am," she said as she leaned up and kissed his jaw. "But I trust you and you're a quick strategic thinker."

"Yeah? Well, my quick and strategic brain is telling me that if we want to make it to the police station _and_ your soundcheck we should probably start getting ready right now," he said with a chuckle as he poked her side playfully.

She whined and buried her face in his neck. "No, I like it here best. We can lock out the real world here."

"Yeah, I recall offering that to you once upon a time and you being very adamant that you wanted to live your life," Wyatt told her with an amused grin. "Our first fight I believe, and it resulted in you making me stay home and miss your show. You promised me a show to make up for it so I'm not missing this one."

"Well, when you put it like that," Lucy said as she sighed in resignation and rolled over onto her back.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and walked toward the closet. She didn't even bother with her robe that was hanging on the closet door. He had to admit he was enjoying the view, but it was more than that. It was trust and intimacy. She was literally bare and not at all bothered by his presence. It was...comfortable. She laid an outfit out on the foot of the bed and then tied her hair up in a bun. She stepped into his bathroom and then glanced back at him over her shoulder.

"I'm hopping in the shower," she told him with a wink. "Care to join me?"

"I'm surprised you even have to ask," Wyatt said with a smirk as he threw the covers off and rushed after her.

* * *

Two hours later, they were arriving at the local precinct with pictures in hand. Lucy had filed a police report and pressed charges against Noah. The police would be arresting him within the hour and searching his home and his office as well as the building across from Jiya's where they believed Noah had set up surveillance. It had gone surprisingly well. Wyatt had not anticipated things happening so quickly or smoothly but fate appeared to be on their side in this case. The minute they left the station and were safely inside of his car, Wyatt could _see_ Lucy relax. A weight lifted off of her shoulders and she sighed contentedly.

"That's the first step done," she told him with a small smile. "That wasn't as horrible as I imagined it would be."

"And now I get to go listen to you sing," Wyatt told her with a grin and a wink. "Turns out, this is a pretty great night."

Lucy blushed and rolled her eyes. "You've heard me sing before. Why are you so fixated on this?"

"Because last time I saw you perform I wasn't your date," he said as he started his car and then reached for her hand. "And now I am. I know exactly who you're going home with when the show is over. I think I'll enjoy this one a little more than the last one."

She laughed at him as he kissed the back of her hand and shook her head. "God, you're a dork."

"And yet...you love me. What does that say about you?" He asked her as he turned back to the road with a smirk.

"That I'm _at least_ as big a dork as you," she said teasingly.

Wyatt laughed as he pulled into traffic and headed toward the club. "Truer words, Professor," he told her. "Truer words."

She rolled her eyes again and smacked his arm. "Just drive, Soldier."

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," he replied.

They arrived at the club a few minutes late. Lucy was immediately whisked to the stage for soundcheck and he stood around backstage to wait. While the soundcheck was happening Wyatt heard Lucy's phone ring from her bag in front of one of the vanity tables. He glanced at it quickly and recognized her mother's phone number flashing across the screen. He had no intention of answering her phone, especially if her mother was on the other end. Wyatt wasn't sure he could talk to Carol Preston without yelling. The idea of anyone treating Lucy like a disappointment enraged him.

Although, he was curious as to what the woman could possibly want. Especially considering the not so vague threat at the end of her last voicemail.

No, it wasn't any of his business. He'd make sure Lucy saw it but he would let her decide what happened with it. She may not even care to listen to it. He wouldn't blame her if that was the case.

* * *

Lucy stepped off stage from her soundcheck and found Wyatt standing by her bag with a concerned expression. He cleared his throat and pointed to her phone that was just barely sticking out of her bag.

"Your mother called," he told her reluctantly.

Lucy felt her face pinch in confusion and pain before she sighed and rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. I don't know why she thinks I'm suddenly going to start taking her calls."

Lucy ripped the phone out of her bag and hit delete on the voicemail without even once considering listening to it. She was anxious enough and a message from her mother could only make that worse.

As soon as the phone was back in her bag Wyatt had his arms around her, placing a kiss to her temple. "You're amazing," he whispered against the spot where his lips had been just a moment before. "Anyone who thinks exactly who you are isn't good enough doesn't deserve you."

She breathed in deeply, taking in his woodsy scent and and his quiet strength as she did so. How had she lived this long without Wyatt Logan to fall back on? She could no longer imagine her life without the shelter of his arms. She could function without him if she had to but it wouldn't be a full life. It would be the same half life she'd been living up until this point. She refused to go back to that half life ever again, not now that she knew what she was missing. Not now that she realized what she _wanted_ and what she _deserved_. _Not now_ that she was allowing herself to embrace it, to embrace _him_.

"You, by the way," Lucy said as she ghosted a kiss over his pulse point. "Get the special all access view from the side of the stage."

He chuckled and then pulled back to smirk impishly at her. "Like a true groupie, huh? Wow, I'm honored."

His hand slipped into her hair and then landed on the back of her neck as he reeled her back in and then slowly slid his lips across her curve of her neck until they landed against the shell of her ear.

"Would you ever go home with a groupie, Ms. Preston?" He asked in a low gravelly tone.

"Not typically," she replied breathlessly. His kisses continued as he trailed them back down and across the other side of her neck. She didn't even care that they were in an open backstage area. Anyone could find them at any moment. She bit her bottom lip to hold in a wanton whimper before she spoke in a voice so sultry that she doubted it came from her. "But I think I could make an exception just this once."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Wyatt said with a deep chuckle. The fact that his chuckle was muffled against the hollow of her throat made it infinitely more appealing.

This time she couldn't hold back her pathetic little whimper before she replied. "If you're going to be this turned on at every show you come to then, please, feel free to be backstage at all of them."

"How much time do you have before you have to be on stage?" He asked.

"An hour," she answered in a distracted haze.

"Perfect," he told her as his lips found hers for a searing kiss. "Plenty of time then."

Before she could say anything else he was pulling her toward the backstage door and then out of the club and toward his jeep. She rolled her eyes and laughed brightly. "What is this high school?"

"Right, like you ever did anything like this in high school. You told me yourself you were an overachieving nerd," Wyatt told her with a teasing chuckle.

"Um, overachieving nerds have more pent up hormones than anyone else in high school. Being a rule following goody two shoes does not mean I haven't had my fair share of backseat make out sessions, Sweetheart."

It was true. The Academic Decathlon kids knew how to blow off steam and the after parties at the debate team meets were always insane. The kids who repressed their own needs and subjected themselves to stressed exhaustion for months on end were the ones you really needed to watch out for. She knew this first hand.

They reached his Jeep and he opened the rear driver side door for her with a highly amused smirk.

"Well then, ready when you are, babydoll," he said with a wink and a challenging snicker.

She stepped up into the back seat but stayed seated on the edge of the seat with her legs hanging out the open door. She hooked her fingers in Wyatt's belt loops and then yanked him forward until he was standing between her legs with one hand bracing against the seat on either side of her. She brushed her nose against his with half lidded eyes. He leaned forward to close the gap but she slid backward to maintain their distance. She stayed just out of reach of his lips until she heard a soft frustrated growl rumble in the back of his throat. She laughed softly and then framed his face with her hands. He had purposefully withheld release from her on multiple occasions. She knew it gave him some sort of teasing satisfaction to make her beg or boss him into doing what she wanted.

He thought she hadn't noticed, but she had.

Two could play that game.

She crawled backwards into the car and pulled him with her, careful to keep her lips just far enough from his as she moved. He reached back and closed the door behind him and with one press of his key fob she heard the locks all click. No interruptions. Good.

He tried to cross the space between them again but she smirked and turned her head. She ran her hands along his chest, hastily undoing the buttons on his shirt as she went, and then untucked it from the waistband of his jeans. When she turned her head his lips landed on the hinge of her jaw and he busied himself with kissing a heated trail up and down her neck as he had backstage just moments ago. She pushed the shirt down his arms and he released her long enough to pull his arms out and toss the shirt into the front seat. She then tugged on the hem of his thin white undershirt and pulled it over his head. That shirt joined his button up in the front seat as well.

He made a move to dive in for a kiss to her lips but she pushed on his shoulders just enough to keep him from his goal. This time he huffed and groaned her name in frustration.

"You messed up my makeup enough backstage, soldier. I have a show in an hour, deal with it," she told him with a victorious grin.

His eyebrows rose and his frustration turned to intrigue. "Always up for a challenge, ma'am."

Oh god, he was too much. Sinful in all the _best_ ways. The heated mirth in his eyes was quickly mirrored in his grin. He sat back on his knees slightly and observed her from head to toe. She could see him strategizing his way around her lips and just the idea of the intimate play by play that must be going through his head was enough to build her anticipation.

She didn't actually care about her make up. It could all be reapplied. No, this little game was purely for fun. Every now and then, she had to make him work for it.


	21. Burst Your Bubble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Okay so I haven't finished the last chapter YET. But I'm now writing about 3 chapters ahead so I figured I could afford to post. I'm on the start of Chapter 25 now and I'm so excited for you guys to read what I've been working on. Combine all of those things and basically I have no self control. That's good for you guys though! You get a chapter! yay!
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> angellwings

Lucy walked through the backstage entrance minutes before she was due on stage, giving her just enough time to touch up her make up and straighten her rumpled outfit. Bringing Wyatt to a show was affecting her ability to be prompt and present. Not that she really gave a damn.

He winked at her as she left for the stage and the he took his place in the wings. He had a little too much fun with their game, if there was such a thing. She should have known that no challenge would hold him back for long.

The show itself was successful. Given her mother's voicemail and all the drama in her life lately she half expected Carol Preston to interrupt the band's set and demand to talk to Lucy. When the final note of the last song played, Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. She ran off stage and straight into Wyatt's arms.

"Alright, groupie, take me home," she ordered with a wink of her own, mimicking the one he threw at her as she took the stage earlier.

"With pleasure, ma'am," he replied as he gifted her with a rare teeth baring smile. He was handsome all the time, but he was especially handsome when he smiled and she felt fortunate to ever be on the receiving end of them.

She bid goodbye to Celia and the band and made a quick exit with Wyatt. She, selfishly, wanted to spend her evening with him. She didn't care what they did, as long as they were together. He had no objections to that either. They were on their way home when her phone rang again. She eyed it warily and recognized the number. It was the number the detective investigating Noah had given her. She answered, keeping a firm grip on Wyatt's hand as she did, and was informed that Noah had been in police custody for several hours.

They arrested him after they located his surveillance equipment in an apartment across the street from Jiya's. The equipment was a lower level than the equipment in the photos they surrendered. But they found photos of her all over the walls and plenty of Noah's fingerprints to place him inside the apartment. The detective assumed that Noah had recently limited his operation to one man, but they were still investigating.

Her police protection would be assigned the following day after Noah's bail hearing. He made sure to point out that she was free to return to her apartment at any time. He was certain that there was no longer anyone watching her.

She relayed everything to Wyatt as she hung up, but he still looked wary.

"One man operation my ass," Wyatt said with a glare as he checked the rear view mirror. "He knew we were coming. Somehow, he knew."

"Do you think that's why my mother called? Because they arrested Noah?" Lucy asked with a furrowed brow as she glanced behind them as well. Would there ever be a day when she was no longer looking over her shoulder?

"Probably," Wyatt said with a nod. "It would make sense. From what we know, I doubt she would be happy about that." His hesitant gaze slid away from the road and over to her. She knew he could read her anxiety in her body language. He could always read her too well, from the very beginning. He must have decided a change of topic was necessary because suddenly the subject of Noah and her mother was forgotten. "So, where do you wanna go, Lucy? Your apartment or mine?"

She squeezed his hand and then brought the back of it to her lips for a quick kiss. Would she ever be able to thoroughly express how grateful she was to have him in her life? Probably not.

"Yours, tonight. Mine, tomorrow."

She loved living with Wyatt but she really had missed Jiya. They had just hit their stride as roommates. Lucy's circle of friends was purposefully small and Jiya unceremoniously barged right in. She wanted all the time with Wyatt she could get, but she didn't want to forget her friends. That was an issue for tomorrow though. Not tonight.

"Besides," Lucy told him as she checked her texts. "Jiya's at work right now and probably will be all night. And I'd rather go on living in our little bubble for tonight. As screwed up as this situation has been, living with you was the best part."

Wyatt's face lit up at her words and he nodded his agreement. "I know. Having you around made up for the circumstances. You're always welcome to come back and stay with me anytime you want. I would never say no to having you in bed next to me," he told her with a smirk and a wink. It was a disarming combination on anyone, let alone Wyatt Logan.

* * *

If Lucy wanted one more night in their "bubble" then he would be happy to give it to her. There wasn't much he wouldn't give her, honestly. Just the two of them all night long sounded good to him too. They weren't going to think about how this would be different once she moved back to Jiya's. That was an issue for tomorrow.

Tonight, they ignored the world. Which is how they ended up snuggled together laying across his couch. Her in one of his hoodies, her underwear, and bare legs and him in a t-shirt and boxers. She was tucked between him and the back of the couch with her chin resting on his shoulder and her legs tangled up in his. They were half heartedly watching an action movie he found on one channel or another, and quietly soaking up all the one on one time they could get. This was how he preferred it anyway. He preferred to have her relaxed and content and in his arms. He was more comfortable in this lazy intertwined position than he had a right to be, but he was almost certain that the novelty of being this intimately close with Lucy Preston would never wear off.

Their game in his Jeep earlier that night was exhilarating but laying with her in the complete peace and quiet of his apartment was just as addictive as any kiss or caress. Lucy Preston allowing herself to be truly vulnerable in his presence would always mean the world to him.

He felt her very lightly bite his shoulder through his t-shirt and turned his head away from the TV to meet her playful eyes with his contemplative ones.

He smirked and chuckled. "You rang, ma'am?"

"You're awfully quiet tonight," she said as she trailed a soft touch across his chest. "Anything wrong?"

Her hand stopped to rest low on his abdomen and he held her gaze for a long moment as he marveled at how casual all of this was now. This felt like his norm, even if he knew it wasn't. How did she do that?

"No," he told her. "For once in my life, nothing is wrong." He leaned forward and brushed his nose against hers. "Life feels...right."

The hand on his chest traveled upward until he felt her palm gently resting on his cheek with her thumb gliding across his skin. "Like you're where you're meant to be?" She asked.

He nodded and closed the distance between them for a slow open mouthed kiss. When they pulled apart he felt Lucy press her face into the crook of his neck and his shoulders. Quickly followed by the barest touch of her lips and tongue to his pulse point. God, she knew exactly what she did to him. She had to. His hand, that rested just under the fabric of her borrowed hoodie, squeezed her hip tighter and pulled her as close as he could.

"You know, I denied you an awful lot of kisses at the club tonight," Lucy said as she pulled back to look at him.

"You were being a _bit_ difficult," he told her with a smirk. "Didn't hold me back for long though."

"No, it certainly did not," Lucy replied, flushing slightly before her expression turned sultry. "But I'm not denying you any kisses _now_."

"Is that a hint?" He asked, amusement filling his voice.

"More like a suggestion," she said with a one shouldered shrug and a soft smile.

He wasted no time kissing her again. Slowly and intrusively. They weren't in any rush. The two of them had been on a roller coaster of emotions since they met. They had more highs and lows than other relationships that had been established for years and they only met just over a week ago. Tomorrow, she would be going back to her own apartment. He knew it wouldn't change anything between them but he would miss having her in his space. He was much too used to her already. If this was going to be her last night living with him then he was going to enjoy every last second, even if that meant excruciating slowness.

His free hand found its way into her dark tresses and took extra care to feel it between his fingers and under his palm. He committed the silky texture to memory, learning her more and more over time. He began learning her with his hands and his touch from that first dance at Celia and Dave's wedding. He remembered everything about touching her. He remembered the frenetic energy of that first night, her smaller and smoother hands in his callused ones, and how it led inevitably to the crash of electricity in her bedroom. He had no notion of the night ending up there when it began but by the time they left for the bar he knew his resistance was futile. He had no defenses against Lucy Preston and he hoped he never did. He wanted her to be the one person he never guarded against. He needed her to be that person who saw all of him, good and bad.

He wanted and needed _her_ , that was the bottom line.

When she was safe he felt at peace. When she was at risk his stomach churned and twisted in ugly knots. When she was happy so was he. She was his baseline. His emotions and mental well being would take their cues from her from now on. They were linked for as long as he lived. Even if she kicked his ass to the curb at some point, he would have a sixth sense for Lucy Preston until the day he died. This was his reality now. _She_ was his reality now.

He would always have his job. That was an essential part of him and a part of the man who raised him. He wasn't letting that go, but since meeting Lucy he realized his priorities had shifted. First and foremost, was her safety and comfort. _Second_ , was his own. There would be nothing to stop him from getting to her when she needed him. No obstacle too great or battlefield too wide.

She was his family. Should Noah or anyone else come for her they would be in for a world of hurt. He would make sure of it.

* * *

The next morning, Lucy gathered her things and they stayed in for breakfast. Wyatt left the bed to cook but brought the food to her when it was done. They sat impossibly close as they ate, legs outstretched and overlapping. The level of intimacy she shared with Wyatt was completely foreign to her. It was comfort and solace and refuge. She needed him like air and she feared for anyone who tried to take him from her. Her protective nature had only revealed itself with Amy and Celia so far in her life, but she knew Wyatt had earned that protection from her as well. If her mother and Noah thought she would be easily separated from him then they were very mistaken.

She heard from the detective again. Noah's bail hearing was set for late in the afternoon and if he were granted bail then officers would be sent to her apartment to be posted at her door. She was grateful for that. There was no way bail wouldn't be set for him. He had no past offenses and he was established in the community. Wyatt had gone over that with her in detail to prepare her for the decision. By nightfall, Noah would be back on the streets. That seemed to be a given.

Jiya was on her way home. She was letting one of her colleagues cover for her as Dave and his team were gone again and Jiya _should_ have been working in their absence, but Jiya insisted that this one time would be fine. Besides, she said, the team would likely be gone for hours anyway. Gone where, Lucy didn't know. But she was excited to spend time with Jiya again. She missed her friend.

After breakfast, she and Wyatt went their separate ways for the first time since she moved in. As Lucy drove back to her apartment she felt like she was missing some essential part of her. It had been just over a week and already Wyatt was too important to lose. He was going to go to the gym, shower, and then come over to her apartment. He planned to be there at least until the officer's made it to her front door.

Celia was already there with Jiya, waiting for her. Her friends all knew today would be stressful and so they were making time for her. This situation proved to her that she had more family than just her mother or Amy. She was blessed and more grateful than ever in spite of all the stress that Noah brought in to her life.

"Oh my god, my roommate is back and my world is right again," Jiya exclaimed as Lucy stepped through the front door. She surged forward and crushed Lucy with a hug. "I've had no reason to use my fire extinguisher in _days_. I have missed you."

Lucy laughed and rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, I think? I missed you too, Jiya."

"Where's loverboy?" Celia asked as Jiya released her from the hug. "I'm surprised he's not attached to your hip."

"He'll be here in a couple of hours. He's going to the gym. It seems I may be distracting him from his normal routine," Lucy answered with a grin and a shrug, her face completely unapologetic. "Oops?"

"So, wait," Celia asked with an eager smile. "You mean we have a couple of hours of girl time? Jiya, get the wine. I want the scoop on whatever Lucy and Wyatt did before the show last night. For an hour. In his Jeep." Celia looked like the cat that ate the canary. She knew she could pull that story out of Lucy as long as Wyatt wasn't around.

Lucy blushed and shook her head. "Cely!" She admonished.

"It's not just her," Jiya added with a chuckle. "I wanna know too. _Spill."_

God, she both loved and despised all of her friends. But wasn't that how it should be? "Fine, but there better be a _lot_ of wine."

* * *

There was nothing better on a tense day than a long work out and Wyatt was definitely tense. Noah would be granted bail and he would be able to pay it, or someone would for him. He was involved in something big and Wyatt had no doubt whoever was pulling the strings would make sure Noah wasn't held for long.

Even with police protection, Wyatt planned to be at Lucy and Jiya's all night long. That's what he was preparing for now. After his workout, he went to the store and now he was back to shower and pick up all the necessities before leaving his place for the rest of the day.

He put the groceries down on his breakfast bar and then put away the things that would need to stay cold. He jumped in the shower, changed, and packed his duffle. He was a moment away from grabbing his keys and loading the Jeep when a knock sounded at his door. He wasn't expecting anyone. He supposed it could be Mrs. Marcus. She came to him when she needed help with a task that was too physical for her.

But he was anxious and worried and really just wanted Lucy in his field of vision again. Whoever this was needed to state their business and go on their way. He needed to be at Lucy's side right now and he wasn't in the mood for any further delays.

In his haste, he didn't bother glancing through the peephole on his door. Which meant he was completely unprepared for the person that greeted him on the other side.

"Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan, we finally meet."

He quickly schooled his face to mask his shock but fear and panic were still welling up in the pit of his stomach. He never imagined actually being face to face with _her._

"Ms. Preston," Wyatt said with forced politeness. "Lucy's told me a lot about you, _ma'am_."

"None of it good, I'm sure," Carol Preston said as she gave him a cool measuring stare. "I think it's time we talk, don't you?"

Well, this couldn't be good for him.


	22. Invasion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Posting another chapter for you guys even though I am still not quite finished. I am writing chapter 28, currently. There is lots more Habit to come! Also, I promise I will be responding to everyone's comments eventually! I have had a lot going on lately (I'm moving) and have been focused on trying to find time to write in the middle of the chaos. Enjoy!
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> angellwings

Laughter and wine were accompanied by talks with no boundaries. Celia and Jiya wanted to know every dirty secret. Lucy kept most things to herself, more for Wyatt's sake than her own. He would hate the idea of Celia and Jiya knowing their intimate details. The image of Wyatt's grumpy grimace came to mind and she smiled to herself. Now that she was thinking of Wyatt, shouldn't he have been here by now?

Jiya's phone rang suddenly and she frowned as she answered. Celia and Lucy watched her wander down the hall with her phone call and when she came back she gave them an apologetic glance.

"Gotta go, duty calls," Jiya said with a sigh. "Also, Cely, I wouldn't expect Bam-Bam back for another day at least. Looks like he and Rufus are pulling a double."

Celia nodded. "Tell him to be safe and to call me when he's done."

"I will," Jiya said as she hugged both Celia and Lucy before leaving the apartment.

Once the door closed behind her, Lucy gave Celia a curious glance. "Do you have any clue what they do?"

"I know enough to know that it weighs on Dave all the time. I feel the tension of it in his entire body anytime he's home. If it's that stressful then it's serious and there's a legitimate reason for it to be classified," Celia answered. "I don't press because I assume I'm better off not knowing."

Lucy was going to follow that by praising Celia and her never ending patience but before she could utter a single word there was a frantic banging at the apartment door.

"What the hell?" Lucy asked as she stood and took a cautious step forward.

"Lucy! I know you're home! I saw your car in the parking garage!"

 _Noah_? Dread seized Lucy and her blood ran cold. No, this wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me," Celia muttered. "I thought his bail hearing was set for this afternoon? Where are the patrol cops who are supposed to be stationed out there?"

The banging persisted and Lucy felt her breathing quicken. A wave of panic was building in her chest. What was she supposed to do? It was just her and Celia. Should she call the cops? Wyatt? Would either of them get here in time? She was at a complete loss and felt, despite Celia's presence, that she was entirely alone. Visions from her dream assaulted her senses. She couldn't forget that dream, no matter how hard she tried.

"Open the door, Lucy. We need to talk."

She felt Noah's grip around her waist pulling her further and further away from Wyatt, toward the surface of the water.

"How about no," Celia said, snapping Lucy out of her daze. "Breathe, Luce." Celia placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave Lucy a pointed stare as she demonstrated how to breathe deeply and exhale slowly.

Lucy didn't even realize she was panting in shallow breaths until Celia pointed it out. All she knew was the spiral of fear in her head. Why was this happening? What did he want? Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Where was Wyatt? Had Noah found him first? How long had Noah been roaming free? Despite her many other questions, the most pressing one was Wyatt.

"I will break down the goddamn door," Noah yelled angrily.

Lucy's fog of fear cleared enough to recognize the tone of a man recently unhinged. Noah was having some sort of break from reality. He was a threat before but now-

Now he was a very real danger.

His voice calmed a moment later as if he were trying to regain some semblance of control. "I need you to hear what I have to say. I need you to know your destiny. There is so much you don't know about me, about yourself, _your father_. You can either open the door and let me in or I will force my way in. Either way, we are doing this face to face."

The last time she had seen Noah's face was in her nightmares. His sickening grin sneaking up on her in blue hazy waters appeared unbidden in her mind and caused her entire body to clench. The idea of seeing him again after watching him kill Wyatt, even if it was only a dream, was what had her springing into action. She wanted him gone. She needed him out of her life for good. Away from her and especially away from _Wyatt_.

To think, she once thought he was a decent guy.

"Like hell you will!" She yelled at the closed door. "Leave now or I am calling the cops."

"Do you really think that's going to work this time?" Noah asked in a softer tone. She heard a scoffing chuckle from the other side of the door. "You and your soldier caught me off guard by pressing charges but that won't happen again. You can't run from me forever."

"I'm _not_ running," Lucy sneered at him. No, she was staying right here. She was finding out what he wanted and whether or not he hurt Wyatt. She didn't want Wyatt anywhere near Noah but at least if he were here she would know he was okay.

"That's good," Noah replied. "Because you've run long enough and Rittenhouse is done waiting you out. They won't stop just because I fail."

Rittenhouse? Lucy looked to Celia to see if she understood but Celia merely shrugged and shook her head. Who was Rittenhouse and why did they care about _her_? Why would they send Noah to deal with her? Why the charade of getting her to date him? She understood what Wyatt meant now when he called Noah batshit crazy. Nothing made sense. The words all formed sentences, but when you put it all together it didn't fit.

"You're insane!" Lucy declared with a disgusted grimace.

There was a singular irate bang against the thick wooden door that made Lucy jump in surprise before Noah started talking again. This time he sounded resigned and frustrated.

"You sound like _him_. Goddammit, I worked so hard to make sure - I sold my soul to that red headed bitch just to...and you still ended up with _that guy_. And now they're blaming _me_ so _I_ have to make you see reason. I have to take you to them. I risked my reputation on you, Lucy, and I'm not losing you to some idiot soldier _again._ "

She had no idea what he was talking about. Red headed bitch? Sold his soul? And what did he mean by she "still" ended up with Wyatt? That sounded like...did he think she and Wyatt had been together before? And who were "they"? His tone and his words held too many ominous secrets. She felt pure terror at the implications that now hung in the air around her. He wanted to take her some where? Hell no. Not until she knew Wyatt was safe, at least.

There was an eerie silence from the hallway. Lucy wondered if maybe Noah got the hint and walked away, but a moment later a larger bang sounded and the door shook. Lucy jumped back as it happened again, and this time the wood creaked and the paint chipped. The wood was splitting from the middle of the door in outward reaching splinters like something heavy had collided against the center of it.

What the hell? What was he doing? He really _was_ insane!

Celia grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the door. "He's _literally_ breaking down the fucking door."

Lucy grabbed her phone as Celia yanked her out of the kitchen. Lucy was fine to stay firmly planted where she was. Remembering her nightmares had frightened her at first, but now she was too curious to hide. One glance at Celia though and she knew she had no choice. Celia's eyes were simultaneously full of protective fire and overwhelming fear. She was already on the line with 911 and explaining the situation and while back up would be appreciated... **.**

Lucy could only think of one phone call she _needed_ to make. One person she wanted to talk to above all others.

_Wyatt._

* * *

"Are you going to invite me inside or did that grandfather of yours forget to teach you any manners?" Carol Preston asked sternly.

While she waited for his answer, she crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently. It was every bit the reaction of a mother dealing with a petulant child.

"I'm not sure I should," Wyatt said with a wary glare.

"Relax, I'm not here to talk to Lucy," she said with a tired sigh. "You're the one I need to talk to. Not her."

"Me?" He asked.

"Yes, because you might actually listen and, since you are a soldier, I'm sure you're a bit more pragmatic than my daughter," Carol said as a fond yet exasperated smile formed on her lips.

"That would depend on your request," Wyatt said as he leaned against his doorway and crossed his arms to match Carol. "If you plan to tell me to stay away from Lucy then I don't think you'll find me very pragmatic at all."

"I don't know what Lucy has told you, Master Sergeant, but she doesn't have all the information. I was hoping Noah would help her with that, but clearly I misjudged him," Carol said with a shake of her head.

"And so now you've come to me," Wyatt said with a dry chuckle. "Because Lucy already trusts me, right? Is that it?"

"I've come to you because Lucy _loves_ you," Carol corrected him. "Her questionable tastes aside, I thought you deserved a warning."

"That sounds vaguely like a threat, Ms. Preston," Wyatt told her with a skeptical lift of his brows.

She looked offended by his accusation and then shook her head as she spoke "Lucy comes from a very important family, Master Sergeant, and there are people out there who will stop at nothing hurt her, especially if she keeps being as difficult as she has been the last few years. I wanted to bring her back into the fold, back to the family, to prevent that from happening. But Noah's failure to win Lucy tried the last of their patience. They're tolerant to a point but eventually they begin to take and take and _take_ until you finally give in." The further Carol went into her speech the more often she met his eyes until she was staring straight at him with an unflinching stare. Her eyes were watering and she took slow deliberate breaths, as if willing herself to remain calm. "If Lucy doesn't come to her senses they _will_ take everything from her."

Wyatt was confused. He understood that Carol felt threatened but had no idea who the hell she was talking about. They? They who?

"I am here to warn you both and I _meant_ that. Please, tell her to call me. I can help her. I will not have my daughter suffer as I did. Giving in now is her safest option."

Wyatt could hear the honesty in her voice but he still didn't understand. His brow furrowed in concern. "Giving into who? What exactly do _they_ want from her?"

"They want her loyalty and Rittenhouse will kill to get it. Like it or not, my plan was a kindness compared to theirs. She will lose you, and she will lose Amy. If he chooses to fight them then she will live to regret it."

"You're starting to sound as insane as Noah," he told her. Though her tone on those last few words matched her tone on that voicemail Lucy let him hear. Maybe that wasn't a threat from Carol after all. Maybe they both read that wrong.

"Has Lucy told you much about her father? Never mind, if I know my daughter like I think I do then I doubt it. His death was a terrible time for her. They were so close." Carol's stance and demeanor changed, immediately sending up redflags for Wyatt.

She was about to reveal something potentially huge. He could tell by the way she uncrossed her arms and avoided his eyes. She let out a troubled sigh as she continued.

"I told the girls it was an accident, that he lost control of the car in the middle of a turn. That was in the official police report, after all. It was essentially true, he did lose control of the car but it wasn't an accident. Henry and I were once like the two of you." Carol spoke with a soft, almost warm, smile. The first genuine tease of affection he had seen from her yet. "We were in love and I thought that was all that mattered. Until they came for him. They would have taken Amy from me too if I hadn't-Well, let's just say I devoted myself to the cause and I have assisted with truly remarkable work. It's time for Lucy to be a part of that and if you do not help her with that decision then she will lose everyone she loves. Amy, her friend Celia, that new room mate of hers. Rittenhouse would take you out first, of course, as you are the biggest threat to her allegiance but the rest would eventually follow. Is that what you want? To see her suffer for her love of you?"

Seeing Lucy suffer would _never_ be what he wanted. Images of Lucy holding the lifeless bodies of the people she loved most flashed across his mind and caused a hollow ache in his chest. Lucy was a caretaker down to her core and loyal to a fault. Seeing those closest to her in pain would break her, more so than being in pain herself, and if what Carol said was true then she would be facing all of it without him. This _Rittenhouse_ sounded terrifying. Ominous. Tyrannical.

 _All powerful_.

But no person or group had a right to demand that kind of dedication and no one had any ability to make that decision but Lucy. He couldn't imagine she would be truly happy either way. Which is why Wyatt was mentally assessing their options, searching for an open exit. There had to be alternate escape route. For Lucy's sake.

"Lucy doesn't know the danger she faces," Carol added when the silence stretched out between them. "But you do. You're a smart man, Wyatt Logan, and a decorated hero. By this point in your career, you must have developed a sixth sense for danger or else I can't imagine you would be standing here now. You sense the scale and depth and the _truth_ of what I'm telling you. You _know_ something big is lurking on the horizon, a conflict so treacherous that it's _classified_ above your paygrade. She cannot face it alone. She will need her mother."

Carol was right to an extent. He did sense the oncoming storm. Whatever it was would rock the very foundation of everything he and Lucy had built. But Carol got _wrong_ just as much as she got _right._

"You gave up being her mother the minute you left her in the back of that ambulance after she almost _drowned_ , but you're right Lucy can't face this alone. So, I guess we should both be grateful that she has me, shouldn't we? Because I'm sure as hell not letting her face off against whatever goddamn clandestine shit you've pulled her into without back up. And wouldn't you know it, I just happen to be the combat ready cavalry your daughter needs. This _Rittenhouse_ can threaten me all they want, but I'm not that easy to kill and they're not the first to try," Wyatt said with a devilish smirk as he pushed off of the doorframe and stood at his full height, in an effort to make himself as imposing as he could. Carol Preston would not sway him the way she did Noah. "I'll make sure Lucy knows you stopped by, but I won't promise you anything else. Lucy makes her own decisions. I just support them."

Carol huffed and glared angrily in the face of his refusal to assist her. "Noah was right about you. You _are_ a stubborn bastard."

Wyatt let out a sardonic scoffing laugh and nodded. "Been called worse. Thanks for paying us a visit. You have a good night now, ma'am."

"This isn't over, you know that, don't you?" Carol asked as she backed away from his apartment door. "You may feel like you've won something here, but I can assure you, this fight has only just begun."

With that, Lucy's mother turned and stomped down the hall. Safe to say, she wasn't his biggest fan. Meeting the girlfriend's mother? _Check_. Leaving a less than stellar impression? _Check_. All that was left was for him to-

His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ring of his phone. He closed and locked his apartment door and ran straight for the device on his kitchen table. It was probably Lucy, asking him where he was. Thanks to Carol Preston, he was running a bit behind schedule.

He knew something was wrong from the moment he answered the phone. He could hear Lucy's heavy breathing and faint banging in the background.

"Oh, god, Wyatt?"

"Lucy?"

He heard her sigh of relief as loudly as a clap of thunder. The sigh was soft but the emotions were loud.

"What's that noise?" He asked as his muscles began to tense one by one. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up as she Lucy frantically gasped out an answer.

"Noah."

 _Goddammit_.

The minute Carol Preston left and the phone rang all at once, he should have seen it coming. He should have known the voice on the other end of the line would be none other than a frightened Lucy Preston. He should have predicted the way his heart dropped out of his chest and his lungs burned at the sound of her uttering one name.

He should have known he would be running out the door, mere seconds behind Carol Preston, desperately praying he would reach Lucy in time. But he didn't. He didn't see any of it coming and he didn't realize when Carol told him the fight was just beginning that she meant _right fucking now._

" _Hold on,"_ he heard his voice plead into the phone. "I'm coming for you."


	23. Axes and Fists

 

* * *

The sounds of the door being slowly ripped apart were all Lucy and Celia could process. Celia had locked them in Jiya's bathroom, after grabbing a baseball bat from the hall closet. Both the police and Wyatt were on their way. It was just a matter of who would arrive first.

Despite fearing what Noah would do to him, Lucy had her money on Wyatt.

There was one final loud crunch and a bang before Noah's voice could be heard clearly from within the apartment.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," Noah called with a wild laugh. "It's time for us to talk, Lucy."

Lucy and Celia exchanged nervous glances. They remained deathly silent from inside the bathroom. They had no intention of letting him know where they were. They were afraid, yes, but more of afraid of Noah taking Lucy and leaving before the cops could arrive than of Noah himself. Noah was desperate but he seemed to want to talk. He hadn't once mentioned wanting to hurt her.

The light in the bathroom was off and they were hidden behind the shower curtain in an effort to be as hidden from him as possible. Celia had a tight grip on the bat and a mean glare on her face. She was ready. Lucy was too if it meant saving her friend, who wasn't a part of this in any way.

"Oh I see," Noah said with disturbing brightness. "We're playing a game. Hide and seek, huh? I've always been good at that game. Should I countdown from ten first?"

His voice was drifting closer and closer and they could hear his steps creaking down the hallway. He knew where they were. He was coming right for them. Celia poised the bat over her shoulder, ready to strike, while Lucy tried to think of a plan that might delay him from forcing her out of the apartment. If Celia's impulsive clubbing didn't work the Lucy needed to be prepared. The knob on the bathroom door barely shook from the pressure of a hand when they heard it.

The singular stomping step of a man on a mission.

"I don't know, buddy, _can you_ count down from ten? If you need help you could always count on your fingers. You have _ten_ of those you know," a familiar voice said in a tauntingly slow pattern, as if talking to a child.

Lucy's hand flew to her mouth to muffle a startled cry. _Wyatt_. She knew he'd get here first. He hadn't even said goodbye on the phone. Just a breathless "hold on, I'm coming for you" before the line went dead. She wanted to yell at him to stay away but she knew nothing she said could have kept him away. Not even the devil himself could have kept Wyatt from reaching her. She heard it in his voice.

He sounded calm and confident as he confronted Noah, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

"Ah, the knight in shining armor is here. Why am I not surprised? You're as obsessed with Lucy as I am."

"Yeah, I am, one difference there, though, _I'm_ the boyfriend. You're just the creepy stalker she called the cops on."

Celia was grinning and biting back a laugh. She gave Lucy an amused look and mouthed, "he's funny."

Lucy filed away her panic long enough to roll her her eyes and shake her head with a smirk as she mouthed slowly in reply, "he thinks so too."

"This is between me and Lucy, Sergeant, you're free to go."

"It's _Master Sergeant_ actually and I'm not going anywhere until you do."

"I should have known you would get in my way. You _always_ get in my way!"

A moment later there was a frustrated yell and a crash. She heard a surprised grunt and a groaning chuckle before another series of crashes and thumps and grunts. Clear sounds of an intense scuffle. And then almost as quickly as it started it was over. A tense silence took the place of the previous ruckus and Lucy decided she preferred the sounds of fighting to the static quiet that surrounded them now. Lucy bit her lip and waited, terror pooling in her gut with every passing second.

Come on, someone say something. Anything. _Please._

"Lucy?" Wyatt called, loudly and urgently.

She couldn't unlock the bathroom door fast enough. She made a leap for it the minute she heard his voice. She nearly face planted as her foot tangled in the shower curtain. It pulled awkwardly and hurt as her leg collided with the side of the tub, but it didn't matter. She needed to get to him _now_.

"Wyatt!" She replied as she finally managed to rip the door open.

She ran straight toward his voice with no thought as to where Noah could be. Wyatt wouldn't call her out into the open unless it was safe. She trusted him completely. Her eyes found him as she ran. He was holding his side but standing upright, relief obvious on his face. She threw her whole self into him and eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Are you okay?" She asked against his ear, pressing her cheek to his.

He had let out a short wounded hiss as she collided against him, but now that he had his arms wrapped around her tightly he chuckled softly, as if amused by her careening embrace. She felt the coiled tension in his muscles release as he held her against him. Slowly, he relaxed now that they were reunited.

"Never been better," he said softly as contentment crept into his tone.

She heard him breathe her in and felt numerous light kisses against her neck as he rested his head on her shoulder for several long moments. His grip was almost desperate. He gave the distinct impression that he was assuring himself she were real. She ran her hands through his hair soothingly, hoping to reassure him further.

"Should have known you'd beat the cops here," Celia said with an audible smirk.

"I was highly motivated," Wyatt replied as he pulled his face out of Lucy's neck but kept her tight against him. He wasn't letting her out of this arms anytime soon. Not that she was seeking an exit. She needed him as much as he needed her.

"The cops are on their way," Lucy said just before she peppered his cheek with kisses of her own. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Me? Lucy, you're the one who just had your door hacked to pieces with a fire axe. Are _you_ okay?" He asked as he pulled back and framed her face with his hands.

"Oh god, a fire axe? Jiya's going to kill me." And even if Jiya didn't this was still all Lucy's fault. If she hadn't come back here, this wouldn't have happened. Where was Jiya supposed to sleep tonight? She couldn't sleep here, not without a working door and-”

"Hey, _stop_ ," Wyatt said, almost as if he could read her quickly spiraling thoughts. He deliberately placed himself in her field of vision. "None of this is on you. You didn't ask him to come here. We all thought he was still in custody. You did nothing wrong. Plus," He said as he glanced around the apartment. "You were supposed to have police protection. If it's anyone's fault, other than Noah's, it's theirs. Wherever the hell _they_ are. Did his bail hearing get moved up?"

"It must have," Celia replied. "No way he escaped custody. He's not _that_ smart."

Lucy finally looked around and found Jiya's apartment looking as ransacked as she feared. Luckily, nothing was broken and Noah was out cold, in the middle of the living room floor.

Lucy thought Wyatt looked rough. He had the beginnings of a black eye, angry red swelling on his cheek accompanied by a cut across his cheek bone, and he had been holding his side when she first saw him. But compared to Noah, he looked practically untouched. Noah was bruised and bleeding, all over. Wyatt had not held back. If Noah did manage to come to, Lucy doubted he would be able to move.

The threat was sufficiently contained.

"Thank you," Lucy said as she turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand, the one still held her face.

He smirked and shrugged, before letting out a soft painful wince. The shrug must have pulled at his hurt side. "I told you. I will always come for you. I mean that."

"When he showed up and you weren't here, Wyatt, I thought-oh god, I really thought he came to find you first between the last time he threatened you and my nightmare I-"

"I'm right here. I'm a little worse for wear but I'm fine," he promised as he brought one of her hands to his chest and placed it over his heart. She could feel it's clear thud against her palm and let out a relieved exhale. "Besides," he said as he pressed his lips to her temple. "It's gonna take a lot more than Dr. Douchebag to take _me_ down, Professor."

"Right, because you're Delta Force," she said with a watery chuckle, as she waited for his smug grin to show itself.

Instead, he ran a light touch up her back, causing her to shudder against him. Would there ever be a time when she wasn't affected by him? "Sure, there's that," he whispered as his lips traveled from her temple to the shell of her ear. "But it's more than that now, Luce. Because now, there's _you_. I'd fight like hell to get back to you."

The police chose that very moment to arrive. Just as Lucy was seriously contemplating throwing herself at her soldier in the middle of her ransacked apartment for Celia and Noah and the whole world to see, there was an awkward knock on the doorframe.

"Uh, Ms. Preston?" A young uniformed office asked.

Lucy nodded and tried to blink the stars out of her eyes. Leave it to Wyatt to woo her in the aftermath of an attack on her well being.

"We're the officers who are supposed to be stationed outside, ma'am," he told her with a sheepish smile. "We would have been here sooner except the schedule was changed on us. We only just found out that his bail was paid and he was released."

"Wow," Celia said sarcastically. "That inspires so much hope in our police force."

The officers took Lucy and Celia's statements, and afterward Celia volunteered to call Jiya and wait for her to return home. She insisted that Wyatt and Lucy go back to his place and take it easy. Neither Lucy nor Wyatt disagreed with her. They were both mentally and physically exhausted. It wasn't until they were approaching Wyatt's front door that Lucy had the presence of mind to remember Wyatt's injuries.

"Wait," she said as she watched him wince through a step. "You're hurt! Shouldn't we have gone to the hospital or-"

He grinned softly at her and shook his head. "It''s black eye, a cut, a goose egg, and a couple of bruised ribs. I told you. I'm fine. I've got everything I need right through that door," he told her as he pointed to his front door.

"I don't know, Wyatt. How can you be sure nothing is broken?" She asked him with a skeptical glare.

"Trust me, I've had broken ribs before. This pain _ain't that_." He unlocked his door and then held his hand up to stop her from entering. "Let me do a quick sweep, okay? Stay right here in the doorway until I come back."

She nodded and watched him step into the darkness of the apartment. The idea of someone waiting for them in his apartment was more real to her than it ever should have been. How did this become her life? What path was she headed down before she met Wyatt? And what great unseen force did she have to thank for sending him to her at such a pivotal moment? Noah was clearly a pawn in some game of her mother's making, but what would have happened if she never met Wyatt and stayed with Noah? Noah said he needed to take her to someone. Had he been planning to rip her away from everything she knew while they were dating? How did she never suspect him of any of it?

"All clear," Wyatt said as he came back to the door and motioned her inside.

She stopped and placed a long kiss on his lips just before stepping over the threshold. It didn't matter what _almost_ happened. All that mattered was that Wyatt came along and gave her the push she needed to make the right decision _for her_.

"Come on, pugilist. Let's get you patched up," she said as she stepped out of the kiss and took his hand.

"What did you just call me?" He asked with a bewildered expression. "Because it did not sound particularly flattering."

She laughed as she pulled him further into the apartment. God, he was adorable. "It's another word for boxer."

"Ah, okay, I see," he told her with a playful roll of his eyes. "Show off."


	24. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** So I'm getting ready to go out of town for the weekend and before I did I thought I would post a chapter of this story for you guys. I honestly think this might be one of my favorite chapters even if, in actuality, not a lot happens here. Hopefully you guys like it too!
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> angellwings

This had to be the best way he'd ever addressed wounds from a fight. It almost made him wish he got into a good brawl or two more often. If Lucy was going to insist on being his nurse and so close that her soft tropical scent floated around him then the bumps and cuts felt worth it. She was sitting on his bathroom counter, after having just helped him wrap his ribs, with him standing between her legs. His shirt was discarded on the bed in the other room as she double checked the bandage.

"Good?" She asked as she met his eyes.

He nodded and stole a brief kiss. "Perfect."

"Now for this cut," she said with a worried sigh. "You look like you were hit pretty hard, Wyatt. Are you sure you don't want to get checked out?"

"Been hit harder and survived worse. I'm fine," he promised. "Dr. Nick is the one who needed the hospital. Not me."

She stared at him warily as she reached for the sink next to her and turned on the warm water. "That bump and your eye are really swollen. Can you even see out of that eye anymore?"

"I keep a bag of frozen peas for just such an occasion. You don't have to worry."

She chuckled dryly and shook her head at him. "That's just it. I do have to worry. I have no choice at this point. Not only that, but _everyone_ needs someone to worry over them. Especially reckless, hotheaded soldiers." She angled herself away from him slightly to wash her hands in the sink and then reached for a clean washcloth.

A moment later he felt the sting of warm soapy water over the cut on his face and hissed. "Just don't worry yourself sick or work yourself up into a panic. I know what I can handle. This is what I do, Lucy. I take the blows so innocent people don't have to. A few cuts and bruises are _nothing_ to me as long as you're safe."

"Well then we're at an impasse, Logan. Because a few cuts and bruises are _everything_ to me if they mean you're _not_ safe," she said as she gently washed the small gash. "I don't want you to make a promise you can't keep, but I'm going to need you to do your level best to come back to me from every battle you walk into."

The casual way she discussed the future sent a thrill rolling over every inch of him. They had a while to go yet before he would be back in the field but the fact that she was already preparing her heart for that day encouraged him more than he knew.

"I give no less than my best at all times, ma'am. I'm sure you've figured that out by now though," he told her with a devilish lift at the corner of his lips.

Her cheeks barely colored but he noticed it. He could see her putting effort into avoiding his heated gaze and the clear strain it took not to grin back at him as she spoke. "Stop smirking, you're pulling at your cut."

"Uh huh. Sure. That's why you want me to stop smirking. Okay."

Her expression finally cracked and she laughed at him before smacking his arm very lightly. "God, you're such a flirt." She dropped the cloth in the sink and then gathered the butterfly bandages she needed before looking at him again. "And that smirk should be illegal. I do not understand how it can be as attractive as it is right now. Your face looks awful."

"Damn, Preston," he said with a deep laugh that caused an ache in his ribs. "No need to hit me when I'm down."

"You know what I mean," she said with a teasing smile.

"I know what I _hope_ you mean," he replied as his hands landed on either of her thighs.

"You know exactly how attractive you are, Wyatt Logan. Don't pretend you don't."

He shrugged and aimed a smug smile at her. "Yeah, but just because I think I'm attractive doesn't mean _you_ have to."

She cackled at him loud and long before she briefly rested her head on his shoulder to catch her breath. After the terror of the last few hours, this moment with her was soothing. He had worried about her from the moment Carol Preston turned up on his doorstep until just now.

He nearly groaned aloud as he remembered his conversation with Lucy's mother. His good humor faded as he realized Lucy didn't know about that yet. He hadn't had a moment to tell her.

He looked down at his hands on her thighs and their instinctual closeness to gather his nerve. He had no idea how she would take this and he hated to ruin this moment. Not after seeing her haunted face in Jiya's apartment as she admitted she thought her nightmare might have come true. Not after the threat of Noah resolved itself. She was likely feeling free for the first time since they met. How could he take that away from her?

Her hands landed on top of his and pulled them to her waist. She must have sensed his distress. Once his hands were around her waist, hers traveled up his arms until they framed his face and forced his eyes to meet hers.

"What's wrong?" she asked in concern. Once his eyes were locked with hers she picked up the butterfly bandages and applied them as she waited for his answer. When her task was done and he still hadn't answered her, her hands returned to his face. "Talk to me."

His hands tightened around her waist and pulled her closer to him. This was as difficult for him to say as it would be for her to hear. "We had an uninvited guest."

"What?"

"I was late to Jiya's because someone unexpectedly showed up at our door. Someone I had previously only seen in photos."

Lucy gasped and shook her head with closed eyes. "No, tell me she didn't- she wasn't- she was _here_?"

"She came to talk to me. She already knew you weren't here," Wyatt told her.

"Why do these people insist on talking to you when I'm not around?" Her irritation was evident in the way the words were ground out through her teeth. "Why can't they just talk to _me_?"

"Because they know you've made up your mind," he answered. "She thought I could convince you to give her another chance."

"So, since she couldn't plant a boyfriend in my life she thought she'd use my current one to her advantage?" Lucy asked with outrage. "She is unbelievable! The way she continuously tries to exert control-"

"I'm not so sure it's about control anymore." He said it quickly, like ripping off a bandaid. He knew some of what Carol said to him was manipulative bull shit, but everything about Henry and the threat to Lucy's happiness felt genuine to him. She didn't want her daughter broken in ways she could never recover from.

"What does that mean?" Lucy asked with a deeply furrowed brow. "If it's not about control then what does she want?"

"She said some things that made me think...Lucy, in her way I think she's trying to protect you. She and Noah are involved in something huge, we know that. I think she was trying to protect you from whatever that is and I think she's lost the ability to do that now." He tried to sound as impassive as he could, tried not show the fear he held for her well being, but she must have seen it anyway.

"What did she say to you, Wyatt?"

Oh, how he wished she hadn't asked him that.

"I don't know if she was telling the truth. She could have been lying to me. Maybe we should have Mikey check it out first before I-"

" _Wyatt_."

He grimaced. He'd never heard that tone before. She sounded stern and impatient. She was all but begging him to stop shielding her from whatever it was he knew. If it didn't involve her family he would _insist_ on waiting until they knew if it was true and if he wasn't in love with her that tone wouldn't have the power over him that it did.

"Your dad - did he die in a car crash? She said she the police report said he lost control of the car and-"

"Yes." Her voice sounded strained as she replied. He hated being the one to tell her this. _Hated it_. "Why?"

"Because the crash wasn't an accident or she _said_ it wasn't, but it may not be true. Hell, it probably wasn't true at all. She was just trying to make me afraid of whatever Rittenhouse is-"

"Rittenhouse," Lucy said urgently as she grabbed his arms, as if she'd just remembered something important. "Noah," she paused and shook her head with a thoughtful face. "I swear he said something about Rittenhouse too. Something likeâ€¦'Rittenhouse is done waiting on you.' I think. I'm not remembering it exactly but he definitely mentioned it. He kept saying 'they' like Rittenhouse was a group or something."

He nodded. "So did your mother."

"Oh god, Wyatt, did Rittenhouse kill my dad?" Lucy asked him with wide skittish eyes. "Why would they...I don't understand."

"She said she resisted joining them and they killed him to punish her, basically," Wyatt answered as he watched Lucy in concern.

"And now they want _me_ to join them? Why? I-I'm no one. I-they wouldn't come after _you_ , would they?" Lucy asked.

Yes, he answered to himself. Yes, they would.

"It doesn't matter," Wyatt said as he brought his hands to her face and ran his thumbs in soothing lines over her cheeks. He could see her unfocused eyes and feel her shallow breathing as he held her against him. She was on the edge of full blown panic. This is what he had been afraid of. "Focus on me, Lucy. Come on, look at me."

She pulled her eyes back to his and swallowed thickly. She didn't speak and he could see the edges of despondency in her eyes. Fear and darkness and exhaustion. Everything he saw in her expression was something he desperately needed to chase away. Something inside of him was burning painfully again but it had nothing to do with his ribs.

"You're not facing this alone," he assured her. "I'm right here with you. I'm not going _anywhere_. We will figure it out, you and me. _Together_. Okay?"

She let out a tearful breath and nodded against his hold on her face. "Okay."

"For now, let's focus on the good. Noah is gone. We're both safe. Celia is safe," He placed a lingering kiss on her forehead before pulling back to grin at her. "And Jiya's getting a new door."

That forced a watery laugh to escape her and the warmth of it slowly unfurled in his chest. Her laugh was music to his ears, even when it was burdened with unshed teardrops.

She leaned across the short space between them and captured his lips with hers and then threw her arms around his neck. He ran his hands through her hair as he kissed her several more times with languorous affection. The potential for tears subsided with every brush of his lips against hers. He felt her muscles relax in his arms.

He had his own fears and concerns about their situation but they never seemed insurmountable when he was holding her. As long as they were together, they could handle it. They just had to take it one problem at a time.

* * *

Days passed with no further mention of Rittenhouse and no obvious threats tracking their steps. Wyatt was vigilant in looking over his shoulder everywhere they went. The mysterious name lurked in the background of their thoughts but never left their lips in an unspoken pact to not risk summoning them into their lives. They carried on much as they did before. They shared space and schedules and thoughts and fears. There was extra emphasis on keeping communication between them open and honest. They were beyond secrets and softening blows. They needed each other too much for that.

And with every new day she woke up next to him he somehow needed her more than the last. A part of him knew this would make his eventual redeployment more painful, but another part of him couldn't bring himself to care. He wanted to treasure every second he had with her. No time could be lost or wasted.

Lucy went back to work and, for three days, he found himself at every show and every recording session. She may have objections to his protective nature, but there was a larger threat than Noah out there now and he couldn't take any risks. When those three days were up, he realized this Rittenhouse wasn't going to make their move out in the open. The way Noah and Carol spoke about a 'they', the back alley meetings with Ben Cahill, the reverent way the name Rittenhouse seemed to be uttered...

No, this was an organization that preferred to work in the shadows.

The shadows worked to his advantage when he was the one using them, but fighting against an enemy shrouded in darkness was nearly impossible to do alone. Something would have to change. They would never gain the upperhand like this.

Those were the thoughts keeping Wyatt up at night as Lucy slept against him, tucked securely in his arms. The fears that plagued him swam around and around in his head until they reached a constant maddening roar. Like white noise that never went away, all day and every day it buzzed in his ears.

Tonight was no exception. He spent the night so far staring at the ceiling and running through all the worst case scenarios in his head, strategizing a battle even if his enemy was unknown. He had very little intel but he was determined to make use of what he had.

A knock sounded at his front door and his head jerked toward the sound. He glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table and then to the small drawer that held his gun. Lucy stirred next to him as the knock happened again. He felt her tense beside of him as she woke.

"It's three in the morning," Lucy said in a whisper. "I know I'm not expecting anyone, are you?"

He gave her a small smirk and a flat look as he held a finger to his lips in a wordless request for silence. He slipped out of bed as quietly as he could and then retrieved his weapon from his nightstand. He tucked it into the waistband of his pants. He heard Lucy rustling the sheets behind him and turned to give her a stern look.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but didn't move any further. She automatically understood his request to stay put and, thankfully, she did as she was asked. He was beginning to figure out that Lucy rarely did as he asked. She was too stubborn and honestly too smart. She had her own ideas of what they should do instead and wasn't afraid to challenge him. He loved her. He had no doubts about that. But he also had no doubts about her ability to make him crazy.

He aimed his gun low as he reached the door and glanced carefully through the peephole. He was surprised by the sight of Dave on the other side of the door. He tucked his gun away, out of sight, and opened the door wide enough to let Dave inside.

"You do know what time it is, don't you?" Wyatt asked without bothering to greet him.

Dave snorted and nodded. "I'm aware. But this couldn't wait. Is Lucy here?"

"I'm here."

Wyatt turned on his heel to find her standing at the edge of the living room. He sighed tiredly and shook his head. "I thought I told you stay put until I checked it out."

"You did," she said with a shrug and a stubborn grin as she came to stand by his side. "I chose to ignore you."

"You do understand that when I say these things it's for your safety, don't you? Cause you've been choosing to ignore me a lot lately," Wyatt told her with an irritated glare.

"I literally walked maybe two feet into the living room." She chuckled and tugged her robe tighter around her. "It's not like I was standing right behind you."

"As adorable as this lover's spat is," Dave said with a chuckle. "I'm actually here on a matter of national security so can we table this discussion for later?"

That got both of their attention.

"I'm sorry, what?" Lucy asked in a sharp tone. "National security?"

Dave held a fragment of a weathered page out to her. It was surrounded by protective plastic and when she reached for it he pulled it away. "Sorry, Lucy, I can't let anyone else touch it. CO's orders."

"Is that...is that my handwriting?" Confusion was etched on every part of her face as she squinted at the page. "But I don't remember writing that."

"But you do recognize the handwriting as your own?" Dave asked as he glanced between Lucy and Wyatt.

"Yes, that's my handwriting. For sure. But I don't understand-"

"You should both get dressed. I'm going to need you to come with me," Dave said as he pulled out his phone from the pocket of his jeans.

"Both of us?" Wyatt asked.

"Well, I figured there was no point of me even trying to bring just her. I know you too well for that, Logan. You'd follow me whether I included you or not," Dave said with a grin. "You've got five minutes to change or you're leaving in what you have on."

"What? But why?" Lucy asked as her eyes connected with Wyatt's in an exchange of wary glances. "What does that page mean?"

"I respect the hell out of you man, but neither one of us are going anywhere until we know what this is about," Wyatt said as he placed himself between Lucy and Dave and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Dave huffed and Wyatt could see his patience wearing thin. Having worked closely with Dave, he found that odd. Bam-Bam had never ending patience that usually conflicted with Wyatt's short temper. His friendly mask may have worked when he first entered the apartment but Wyatt could see the cracks in it now. Dave Baumgardner was _pissed_.

"You should have told me," Dave exclaimed as he pinned Wyatt down with a glare. "You should have called me for back up the minute you knew this was bigger than what you could face alone. Celia told me what happened at Jiya's the other night. She told me what Noah said. You've known for _days_ that you're facing down some goddamn conspiracy and I haven't heard a thing from you. Why is that? Man, you know, I love you like a brother but you can be a fucking idiot sometimes. You know that? You can't take on Rittenhouse on your own! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

Wyatt was prepared to defend himself until that name left Bam-Bam's lips. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He never would have guessed that Dave would know about- How _did_ Dave know? Unless...

"You know about-"

"Intimately," Dave said through gritted teeth as he cut off Lucy's question.

"Fuck," Wyatt cursed as realization dawned. " _That's_ your assignment?"

"Get dressed," Dave ordered. He ignored Wyatt's question in order to return his attention to his phone. "I have a phone call to make and then we're leaving. You've both just been temporarily recruited by the Department of Homeland Security. Congratulations."

Wyatt flinched as the door slammed behind Dave. He had been on a lot of team's with Bam-Bam, but he had never once seen him like _that_.

"What just happened?" Lucy asked him in shock.

"Not sure, but I think we're about to learn much more than we ever wanted to know about Rittenhouse."


	25. Caged

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** This story is gonna shift tones now as the plot thickens. ;) Hopefully you guys enjoy this part of the story just as much!
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> angellwings

Dave and a DHS agent named Kondo had stashed Lucy and Wyatt in a waiting room of some kind. The furniture was black and modern and uncomfortable and the walls reminded Lucy of the soundproofing at the last studio she recorded in. In the middle of all that abstract black paneling was a familiar logo.

"Mason Industries?" Lucy asked as she watched Wyatt pace in front of her. "Connor Mason's company? Why would they bring us here?"

"I don't know."

His answer was automatic, distracted. He looked anxious and guilty. He kept glancing at the door every few minutes as if he were waiting for a firing squad to march through. Lucy reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders. With a grace she wasn't aware she possessed, she pulled him out of his pacing and into her arms. Her arms went around his neck and held him against her. She heard him let out a slow breath and felt him relax as his arms snaked around her waist. His head fell to her shoulder and she instinctively began running her fingers through his hair. They couldn't go on like this. He needed to calm down.

"It's okay, Wyatt. We'll figure it out. Isn't that what you told me? We'll get through it together," she told him in as soothing a voice as she could manage. "At least now we know we're not crazy."

"I've never seen Bam-Bam that... _furious_ before," Wyatt admitted as he pulled his face out of her neck. "I've been in a variety of stressful situations with him but he's never been like _that_."

"So, you think that doesn't bode well for us?" She asked as she moved her hands from his neck to his back and rubbed slow circles over his shoulder blades.

"I think that if Rittenhouse is his assignment then this is a lot bigger than you or I ever imagined," Wyatt whispered. "And I'm not sure who we can trust."

"Surely, we can trust Bam-Bam," Lucy said as she pulled back to look at him with a furrowed brow.

Wyatt's doubtful look did nothing to ease her nerves but, before she could address it, the door opened. Jiya's Rufus entered the room with an anxious look over his shoulder. Lucy and Wyatt had only met him once. They knew hardly anything about him. If they doubted their trust in Bam-Bam then they certainly doubted having trust in _him_. He gave them an awkward smile as he closed and locked the door behind him.

"We have to get you two out of here," he said urgently. "We can't talk here. It's not safe."

Wyatt quirked a brow at him. "Then why were we brought here?"

"Homeland Security's orders," Rufus told them. "We didn't have a choice. They found out about the journal page. Kondo was gonna bring you in if Bam-Bam didn't and we don't know what side he's on."

"From what we were told, we're basically in DHS custody now," Lucy said with narrowed eyes. "We can't leave."

"They won't know you've left if we get you back here before they check on you," Rufus said with a shrug. "Bam-Bam and Christopher have cleared the way for us. I hacked the security cameras and set them on a loop, but they'll only be on loop for the next five minutes so we have to go now."

"We're just supposed to follow you?" Wyatt asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Rufus sighed and rubbed a hand across his brow. "Bam-Bam said you might resist. I'm supposed to ask you," he paused and looked upward thoughtfully. "To help us drive an old Chevy into a lake? I don't understand the reference but he said you would so... **.** "

"Let's go," Wyatt said as he grabbed Lucy's sweater and held it out for her.

She and Rufus exchanged confused and startled glances before Lucy put her arms through the sleeves of the sweater Wyatt held and then they both followed Rufus out the door.

"I'm not sure what just happened here but if it got you moving then I'll take it," Rufus said with a shrug. "This way."

* * *

Rufus led them through a dizzying array of stairwells and hallways and twisty turns before they finally saw Dave and an unfamiliar woman waiting for them.

"Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan, Lucy Preston, nice to meet you both," the woman said as she shook their hands. "My name is Agent Denise Christopher and you're in danger."

"Yeah," Lucy said with a huff. "We know."

"No, Lucy, you don't," Dave said as he gave her a concerned look. "Rittenhouse has agents inside of Homeland. You're in danger, _in this building_ _at this very moment_. Not only that, but our target is after you too. He thinks you're the secret key to all of this for whatever insane reason."

"Your target?" Wyatt asked curiously. This is the first Wyatt had overheard about a target.

"Garcia Flynn," Rufus answered with a sneer. "Bastard."

"This team was formed to take him out," Agent Christopher said as she glanced down at her watch. "He's alluded elimination so far but we have managed to keep him from accomplishing his objectives. On one of the team's missions, he handed Dave a page from a journal he carries with him. That journal was written by Lucy Preston. Flynn has been asking about you, Lucy. He keeps expecting to see you."

"I...I haven't written in a journal since high school," Lucy said with a shake of her head. "Why would this Flynn person even care about me?"

"Hold on." Wyatt looked pointedly around the circle. "You're missing someone."

"No, we're not," Dave sneered. Wyatt didn't like the sound of that. That was the same tone Dave used earlier that morning.

"Oh! Yes, Luke! He was at your wedding," Lucy agreed as she too glanced around the room. "Where is he?"

"Flynn had him killed," Rufus revealed angrily. "That's where he is."

"Rufus-"

"No, Dave, they need to know. We can't ask them to do this if they don't have all the facts," Rufus exclaimed insistently.

Wyatt didn't know Rufus, but he immediately liked him. He was determined and vocal. Wyatt could tell he wasn't trained but he could also see he had a lot of heart. Rufus must have been a valuable team mate. Though, Wyatt didn't really know. He had no idea what this team's missions consisted of.

"You're not suggesting that we tell them about the machine, are you?" Agent Christopher asked as she glanced warily from Lucy and Wyatt to Rufus.

"If they don't know then they can't help us," Rufus said with a huff. "They deserve to know."

"They'll never believe us, man," Dave said with a shake of his head.

Machine? What machine? Wyatt wanted to tell Dave that Rufus had a point. It was hard to help when he didn't know what the problem was. But he stayed out of it. This wasn't his team.

"Luke died for this mission. They'll _have to_ believe us," Rufus told them all through gritted teeth.

"I don't think I _want_ to know," Lucy said as she edged away from the group and closer to Wyatt. "This Flynn had him _killed_? Why?"

Wyatt placed a hand loosely around Lucy's waist to reassure her. He could hear the nerves in her voice. She was this close to running. She gripped his arm in desperation, and he wished he had a way to make this better. She shouldn't have to be a part of this.

There was a long tense silence as Dave, Rufus, and Christopher exchanged uncertain glances. Rufus opened his mouth to speak but Dave put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Don't," Dave told him with a shake of his head.

"She asked, man. She wants to know why Luke was killed and you can't tell me we should keep that from her. What if he comes for her, huh? Have you thought about that? He's more unhinged than ever now that Emma's in that machine with him. She needs to be prepared," Rufus told him as he motioned to Lucy repetitively while he talked.

"No one's coming for Lucy. Not on my watch," Wyatt said dangerously. This Flynn guy would regret it if he even tried. "What does she need to be prepared for?"

"Let's just say, Garcia Flynn is...preoccupied with Lucy's absence from the team," Christopher explained gently. "He blamed _Luke_ for that absence."

"What?" Lucy asked them before she turned to give Wyatt a frightened look. "Wyatt-"

"It's okay, Luce. Breathe." He used his arm that was already around her to pull her as close as he could, not giving a single shit what the other three people in the room might think. He knew that look and that tone. She was hovering on the edge of panic. Now was not the time. He needed her in the moment with him. She was the only person he was _certain_ he could trust. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"You'd better keep breathing steady, Lucy," Dave said with sympathetic smile. "That's not even the biggest revelation of the day."

"There's something bigger than a terrorist killing a man because he can't seem to _find_ me? Is that even possible?" Lucy asked with an emotional gulp.

"Well that depends," Rufus said with a sheepish smile.

"Oh what?" Wyatt asked him as he rubbed a soothing hand over Lucy's back.

"Have you ever heard of a closed time-like curve?"

* * *

Time travel? They were dealing with goddamn time travel? He had listened to all three of these people explain it to him and to Lucy but each time it just sounded more and more like nonsense. How the hell could time travel be real? No, forget it. He'd already asked that one and the answer had been too fucking complicated. Now he understood why Bam-Bam's team needed an engineer and a historian.

Time. Fucking. Travel.

How was this his life? How was this _anyone's_ life?

"So, this journal that this guy Flynn has," Wyatt asked as he rubbed his temples. God, he needed a beer or a glass of whiskey... _something_. "It's Lucy's journal from the _future_?"

Agent Christopher nodded. "As best we can tell, yes."

"But...I don't keep a journal. I hate them. My mother used to make me write in one every day as a kid and I swore never to do again. That journal _can't_ be mine," Lucy said with a shake of her head.

"You said you recognize your handwriting," Dave reminded her.

"I-I did but... _it can't be possible_ ," Lucy told him adamantly.

"It is possible," Rufus stated with a smirk. "The journal had to have been delivered to him from the future, and wouldn't you know it...I helped invent time travel."

"But if that journal is legitimate then I-that means I'll end up helping him, doesn't it?" Lucy asked as she furrowed her brow in concern.

"No," Wyatt answered with a shake of his head and a tired huff. "I don't care what that journal says, Lucy. You make your own choices. You determine your own future. No mysterious journal from the future can convince me otherwise."

"Prophetic or not," Agent Christopher said as she schooled her face into an impassive expression. "It's the reason we need your help, Lucy. Our best chance at drawing Flynn out into the open is if he knows that you-"

 _Fuck_. "Oh hell no. You are not using Lucy as bait for a time terrorist."

"We have to quit playing defense, man," Dave told him. "This is only gonna work if we're on the offensive."

"And what happens if he takes her? Huh? What happens if this psycho grabs her and goes off to whenever the hell he wants?" Wyatt said as he felt his grip tighten around Lucy again. Like hell she was going anywhere that he couldn't follow.

"Wyatt," Lucy said softly as she ran her hands up his arms and then stopped on his shoulders.

"I'm not gonna just stand by and watch you send her out there into who knows what-"

He cut off his own sentence when he heard Lucy sigh and then felt her tug on the collar of his jacket. "Wyatt. They're right."

"What?" He asked sharply as he focused a concerned glare on her. "You can't be serious."

"He killed Luke, Wyatt," she said as she closed her eyes and shook her head. "He killed Luke because of _me_. If I'm their best shot to take this man out for good then I can't say no to this."

"Yes, you can," Wyatt assured her. "You just say 'no.' You have no problem saying it to me every damn day."

"I'll be fine," she said as she pressed her forehead to his. "Dave will be right there with me. Won't you, Dave?"

"Absolutely, I'll protect her like I would my wife," Dave said with a confident nod. "I won't let anything happen to her, Wyatt. I know what she means to you."

"Everything, Bam-Bam." Wyatt swallowed thickly as he took in a deep fortifying breath. He didn't know what he would do if anything happened to her. He pressed a kiss to Lucy's lips before removing his forehead from hers and turning an honest look on Dave. "She means _everything_."


	26. Futility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** So, I'm unsure if she'll see this but I wanted to give a shout out to **Iambeck** for giving me the idea for the beginning of this chapter. It's BRILLIANT and one of my favorite things I've ever written for this story and it happened because of her. Anywayyy, ENJOY!
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> angellwings

_Charles Lindbergh_. _World famous aviator. Legendary Figure. Fascist Sympathizer. One of those things is not like the others, and now I know why. I know why he sympathized with the most murderous government in world history and why he publicly proclaimed truly ignorant beliefs. Rittenhouse. Before time travel, I viewed Lindbergh as a fallen hero. An impressive man who's personal beliefs clashed with his many accomplishments. A complicated contradiction._

_But now, now that I've been faced with the man himself, I see him only as a tragic figure. A man who was trapped by legacy and fear. A man who caved to unprecedented pressure and refused to choose a life for himself._

_We tried. We tried to convince him to stand up to Rittenhouse and abandon the path they set for him. I thought we succeeded. Only now that we've returned the present--_

_Well, it seems I wasted my breath._

_Lindbergh isn't the fascist sympathizer I always believed him to be, but he still isn't the hero I always wished he was. The life he wanted would have been a lovely quiet life, away from the spotlight. He never found that life. He gave up on the beautiful dream he expressed to me that night. I will never understand him. I will never know why he gave it up. How did they convince him to fall in line? It leaves me wondering..._

_Is all of this futile? Should I bother fighting the legacy Ben Cahill promised me? What will they do to make me do as I'm told? Who will I become if I continue to fight them?_

_It seems either way, I'm doomed to lose myself completely._

_So, it begs the question--_

_What is the goddamn point to all of it?_

The point? The point was to save the ones he loved. The point was to take down the bastards who stole his whole world from him in the middle of the night. He knew it would be an all out war, but he never expected to lose this many battles. Ripping through time one member of Rittenhouse at a time was excruciating. By the time he corrected the crimes against him he will have missed too many years with his family. Too much time will have passed that he will never remember. Years lost. Memories gone.

Too slow. Everything was too slow. And the journal...

She gave it to him, but _she_ isn't here. It was all wrong. He followed the information she gave him. He fought back like she asked him to. But she was nowhere to be found. How were they supposed to work together if she never joined the damn fight? They aren't. Was that why he was losing more than he was winning? Was her absence slowing him down?

This was her idea. Her plan. She should have been there by now.

It was impossible to win this without her.

She doomed him to a life of loneliness and pain. Of guilt and madness. It will consume him completely if he doesn't win this fight. His girls cannot be lost forever. He will not allow it. Lucy Preston promised to help him. She placed the journal in his hands and swore that it would help him. She was breaking her promise. She was somewhere out there living a life ignorant to this fight he entered based on _her advice._

She had abandoned him. He closed her journal. He memorized that entry long ago. He related to her questions on futility more than he cared to admit. Lucy Preston had forsaken him and now he was fighting Rittenhouse without who he assumed would be his most powerful ally.

It left him furious and resentful. But the fury was met with anxious worry. Had Rittenhouse gotten to her? Had they prematurely snuffed out her life? Should he find her? If he found her and she was ignorant to the shadows that lurked over her shoulder, how would he convince her? She would never believe him. She would never believe the madness in his method would benefit them. He would need to show her.

But that was insanity. She was supposed to come to him. Not the other way around.

"How many times are you going to read that book?"

Garcia Flynn turned to face his pilot with a static expression. "As many times as necessary."

"I don't care how many times you read it, it won't make her appear in front of you. She's clearly not as important as you claim she is or else-"

"Lucy Preston is vital to this fight, Emma. You will never convince me otherwise," Flynn said with a glare as his voice betrayed his frustration.

"Fine, if she's so important, then why are we bothering to do this without her?" Emma asked with a huff. "You keep saying she'll be on the next mission but she never is. Eventually, there comes a point, Flynn, where you either give up or make it happen. We've reached that point."

"What are you saying?" Flynn asked her through narrowed lids.

"I'm saying, we forget her or we go and get her ourselves."

Go and get her? It went against every instinct he had, but...

Emma was right. He couldn't wait for Lucy forever. He either had to move on or force her hand.

"So, what'll be, boss?" Emma sked with a quirked brow.

He flipped to his bookmark, an old creased photo of his wife and his daughter. They smiled sweetly at the camera, cradled in peace of comfort. The peace and comfort that he longed to return to. This had to end. It could only end with Lucy's help.

"Find her," Flynn sneered. "We find her and we force her to help us. She promised she would help me. She's going to keep that promise."

Emma smiled slowly and nodded. "I was hoping you would say that. Let's see if this Lucy Preston is all you say she is."

He had a brief thought that Emma seemed much too pleased to hunt down a civilian, but it passed quickly. Emma wanted an end to Rittenhouse as eagerly as he did. Of course she was pleased. Emma turned and walked off toward the outdated laptop they managed to swipe off the back of a truck. She was all set to do something brilliant.

In the few missions since he found her in that cabin so many years in the past, she had made herself more than useful. He was certain she would prove useful once again. She would find Lucy Preston for him and then he would convince Lucy to join them.

He glanced down at the journal and smirked to himself. It was practically preordained by Lucy, herself.

* * *

"You have Noah in a what?" Lucy asked with a furrowed brow.

"A black site prison," Christopher repeated. "It means undisclosed location."

"Good," Wyatt spat. "Throw him in a pit and throw away the key."

"That's the plan," Dave promised. "But we've been interrogating him and his answers have been...illuminating. He told us about your mother, Lucy. I'm sorry."

Lucy sighed tiredly and shook her head. "I would love to say I'm surprised but, honestly, I should have seen it coming."

"He also exposed a man by the name of Ben Cahill. We were familiar with him already. I've got eyes on both Carol and Ben," Agent Christopher informed them. "The minute they make a move, we'll know."

"So, what do we do now?" Lucy asked. "If I'm supposed to be bait for Flynn, shouldn't we be _baiting_ him?"

"We already are," Christopher answered. "Rufus is upstairs leaking intel through supposedly secure channels. He's making it known DHS has Lucy Preston in their custody. If Emma is as good as Rufus says she is, she'll find it. They'll come. In the meantime, we need to get you two back to that waiting room before someone figures out you're gone."

Christopher nodded to Dave, who then motioned for Lucy and Wyatt to follow him. "Rufus will keep the cameras off of us until we get you back. DHS will be taking you to a secured location shortly. We don't know what DHS agents we can trust so discretion is important."

"We won't say anything," Wyatt told him. "I don't even know if I can trust _you_ right now. I'm sure as hell not trusting anyone else."

Dave stopped walking and turned a surprised look on Wyatt. "I may be pissed at you, Wyatt, but you're still my brother. I meant it when I told you there's no one else I'd rather have watching my six. The last thing I want is for you or Lucy to be caught up in this shitfest. It's treacherous and complicated and once you're in you can't get out. Not until it's all over anyway, who fucking knows when that will be? I wouldn't bring you in on this unless I trusted you. I don't know if that's enough for you to trust _me_ , but I hope so. I'm not the enemy here, Logan. Not _your_ enemy anyway."

Wyatt nodded but said nothing. He seemed unsure how to reply to such an admission. Dave patted Wyatt's shoulder and gave Lucy a small smile before he walked on ahead of them. Lucy and Wyatt followed at slower pace, hanging back to talk amongst themselves.

She slipped her hand in Wyatt's, laced their fingers together and leaned toward him to whisper in his ear. "Told you. I knew we could trust Dave."

He squeezed her hand and then kissed the top of her head. Wyatt flashed her half of a grin and an affectionate glance. "Guess I should have known better than to doubt either of you, huh?"

She nodded primly and winked at him. "You'd do well to remember that from now on."

He chuckled and rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, ma'am."

Dave unlocked the waiting room and waited until they were situated inside the small room. "Kondo will be back in a few minutes to lead you to your escort vehicle. There's a safe house not far from here that they plan to stash you in overnight. Rufus and I will find you later tonight, and we'll disclose the full plan."

"Thanks, man," Wyatt said as he and Dave exchanged meaningful looks.

It was a nonverbal exchange that Lucy didn't understand, but Wyatt and Dave seemed to know exactly what was being said in the silences. They smirked slowly at each other and then nodded. Just like that the tension between them was gone. Whatever issue Dave had with Wyatt was forgiven in the literal blink of an eye. Their easy friendship and implicit trust was back as if nothing had ever happened.

It reminded Lucy of similar exchanges between herself and Amy. Most fights were resolved without any actual acknowledgement of the issue. The small battles were easily forgiven once the source of the conflict was understood. It spoke to just how close Wyatt and Dave really were.

The door closed behind Bam-Bam and they were left to wait.

Lucy hated waiting. It made her nervous.

She was afraid of what might happen and of this Garcia Flynn who was so eager to find her. She trusted Dave and Wyatt with her life. She knew this was their field of expertise, but sometimes...sometimes certain events were inevitable. Lucy believed that everything happened for a reason and that some things were unavoidable.

That belief had her stomach twisted in sickening knots. Deep down, she knew...

She _knew_ that try as he might, Wyatt couldn't stop Flynn from taking her.

She couldn't explain how or why. She just _knew_.

But she also _just knew_ the soldier sitting next to her. They had only been together a short time but she knew his heart and she knew his strength. She knew he would come for her. That thought soothed her anxiety and filled her with an eerie sense of calm.

Wyatt would find her or she would find him. No clandestine cult or time terrorist could keep them apart for long. So, whatever was coming, she was ready. She would fight tooth and nail to get back to him, _back home_. Let Flynn come. As long as Wyatt had faith in her, she could handle it.

Let. Him. Come.

* * *

Wyatt didn't understand what had happened. One moment they were in a nondescript black sedan, heading toward an undisclosed safe house, and the next the car was rammed head on. He saw no headlights. He sensed no danger. His ears rung from the sound of the collision and his head was pounding. He had pitched forward and hit his head against the door. He blinked and tried to find his bearings. He could see Kondo in the front driver's side hunched and bloody across the steering wheel and the agent next to him pinned to the passenger seat.

Both were likely too gone to make it much longer.

He groaned and reached to his left. Instinctually trying to find Lucy through the pain in his head and buzzing in his ears.

"Wyatt." Her pleading voice drowned out the buzzing and he turned slowly to face her. His limbs felt heavy and slow. " _Wyatt_."

His eyes finally focused on her face and he breathed a sigh of relief. She was fine save for a cut over her right eye. He reached out a hand and trailed his fingers along her cheek.

"I'm okay," he told her in a strained voice. "You?"

"Fine," she said with a soft smile.

There was a noise just outside the car and her smile suddenly turned sad. Slowly, his senses were returning to him and he felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck. Something wasn't right.

"Wyatt, I need you to do me a favor," Lucy said with a nervous gulp. He could hear tears creeping into her voice and, as soon as her eyes met his he knew he was right. "Whatever happens next, don't fight it."

What? What did that mean? Don't fight what? God, he wished his head would stop pounding. He was missing something. Something important. "I don't-I'm not sure-"

"He shot Kondo when he tried to pull a gun on him, Wyatt. He'll shoot you too. Please. _Don't fight him_. Not now. Not while you're hurt. Just let him take me."

" _No_ ," Wyatt ground out through the pain in his head. He understood _that_ request. No. _No_.

"You can't come for me if he kills you," Lucy whispered as the noise happened again. Closer this time. "And you promised. Remember? You _promised_ you would always come for me. I'm holding you to that, okay? Just let this happen. Do you hear me? _Let it happen_."

Her door was ripped open with force. The force of someone _furious_.

"So glad you finally decided to join us, Lucy. I've been waiting for you."

 _Fuck_. The noise was footsteps on shattered glass. The prickling sensation was the feeling of someone's eyes on them. His hand automatically reached for his weapon but Lucy's hand darted out to stop him.

"You _promised_."

Goddammit. "Don't do this, Lucy. Don't _make me_ do this. Stand down."

"I'm not a soldier," she told him with a weak smile as she removed her hand from his. "I don't follow orders."

He should have seen that coming. Stubborn woman. Like hell he was going to let this psycho take her from him. She couldn't seriously expect him to just sit back and watch. He told her. He told them all back at Mason. _He wouldn't let him touch her_.

His hand closed around the gun on his hip just as he heard Lucy suck in a sharp breath. His eyes flew to her in a heartbeat and found Flynn pressing his gun to Lucy's temple.

"Now, now, Master Sergeant, let's not be hasty," Flynn told him with a lethal glare. "Either I take her with me or I shoot her, here and now. Which would you prefer?"

"I'd _prefer_ you to go fuck yourself."

"Unfortunately, that's not an option," Flynn said with a chuckle.

Lucy shook her head at him. Her eyes were both fearful and imploring. _You can't come for me if he kills you_. Her frantic whisper reverberated in his brain and he closed his eyes tightly. She was right. Goddammit, she was right. They were trapped. He had no good options. He racked his brain for any way out. He opened his eyes and was silently considering his options when he noticed Flynn nod at someone over Wyatt's shoulder. In the next moment, his door opened, he felt a sharp pain to the back of his head, and the world went black.

The last thing he heard was Lucy screaming his name.


	27. Missing

He felt familiar hands running through his hair and caressing over his arms. For some reason he felt a dull ache at the base of his skull. He was unsure as to why. He was surrounded by soft sheets and plush pillows. There was nothing near him that he might have collided against. Not even the tender touch flitting across his scalp could soothe the pain.

He opened his eyes to find Lucy smiling at him with a serene sleepy smile, sheet pulled up to cover her otherwise bare body. He had her wrapped in his arms and securely tucked against him. He didn't know where they were but the bed they were in was a huge and there was an unused fireplace on the far end of the room. It all felt new but familiar. Comfortable yet strange.

"Good morning," she told him with a face that was so soft it stole the breath from his lungs.

He ignored the pain in his head and let a smile stretch across his face as he replied, "Morning."

"Although, I guess it's not really morning where you are is it?" She asked as she nuzzled her nose against his.

His brow furrowed. He didn't understand her question. It didn't make sense. "Where I am? You okay over there, Luce? You're sounding a little loopy."

She chuckled and then placed a light kiss to his lips. "I'm fine. Well, I will be. As soon as you wake up and find me."

Wake up? But hadn't he just--

The sound of squealing tires ruptured the peace that surrounded them and then visions flooded him. The pain in his head began to make sense as he remembered shattered glass and desperate whispered pleas and the gun pressed against Lucy's temple.

"You promised to come for me," the Lucy in his arms reminded him as she trailed her comforting touch from his hairline to the curve of his jaw. "I'm waiting, Wyatt."

He could feel the pull of consciousness but he didn't want to leave her. Even if he knew he was dreaming, wherever they were in his dream was a million times better than his reality. Because in his reality, she'd been ripped away from him. He couldn't stop it. Couldn't save her. She was just... _gone_.

"Time to get up, Soldier," Lucy said as she faded from his vision and his arms.

The soft morning glow of his cozy room with Lucy transitioned into the glaring sterile white light of an examination room. There was paper underneath him instead of soft sheets and no stubborn brown eyed woman to offer him comfort for his pounding head.

He was alone.

His hands curled into fists and he felt his teeth grinding. The pain in his head was momentarily forgotten in favor of blinding rage. At Garcia Flynn. At Lucy. At himself.

At the whole damn world.

He struck out a wild fist and sent a rolling cart of medical supplies careening into the nearest wall with an obnoxiously loud crash. A split second later the door opened and closed.

"So, looks like you're awake." He looked up to find Dave leaning against the closed door. "How's your head?"

"Fine," he sneered. "You find Lucy, yet?"

The hesitance in Dave's expression told him they had, but that he wasn't going to like it.

"Where did he take her, Bam-Bam?"

Dave sighed tiredly and ran a hand across his face. The exhaustion made him look much older than he actually was. "It's not where, Wyatt. It's more like _when_."

"You gotta be shitting me," Wyatt yelled as he gritted his way through the ache at the back of his head. "He time traveled with her?"

"They're prepping the Lifeboat now," Dave told him as he ignored Wyatt's question. It had an obvious answer. Wyatt didn't really need him to speak it out loud.

"The Lifeboat?" Wyatt asked.

"Our time machine. She's a bit beat up, but she does the job," Dave clarified.

"When are you leaving?" He was chomping at the bit to demand to go but this wasn't his assignment. He had no say.

"I'm not," Dave said as he crossed them room in three long strides and sat down in the chair next to Wyatt's bed. "You are."

Wyatt let loose a breath he didn't realize he was holding before he managed a response. "Thank you," he said as he felt his hands unfurl and relax. "You really didn't have to do that, man, but... _thank you_."

"You'd do the same for me if it were Celia in danger," Dave said with an apologetic glance. "Plus, this whole damn thing was my idea. You were right. We should never have used her as a bait. Flynn's too smart to strike where we expect him to. I should have seen that ambush coming from a mile away. The tally marks in my failures column just keep adding up. I'm honestly surprised they haven't reassigned me yet. Especially after-"

"Luke?" Wyatt asked knowingly.

Dave nodded. "I tried to save him, man. I really did. But by the time we found that creepy bastard Flynn hired in the basement of his hotel he'd already...it was just too damn late. He didn't deserve that."

"Did you put a bullet in the sicko's skull?" Wyatt asked.

"Dead center," Bam-Bam admitted with a nod. "I don't give a shit if that's how it was supposed to go down or not."

"Luke knew the risks," Wyatt assured him. "He had to. You've been on the assignment long enough now that he knew the risks of every mission. If he agreed to go then he was risking his life for what he felt was right. Not only that, but man, his death isn't on you. That's on the freak that killed him."

"Let me ask you something," Dave said as he gave Wyatt a sad smile. "If our positions were reversed would that speech work on you?"

Wyatt chuckled bitterly. "Hell no. I'd go to my grave carrying that guilt around."

"Then I've got no right to do anything less than that," he replied. "I'm the soldier, Wyatt. I'm _supposed_ to take the hits. If anyone were going to die on this mission, it should have been me."

The idea of Dave lying dead in the past somewhere struck Wyatt in the chest and _hurt_. It physically hurt like a blow to the ribs.

"You've got Celia, Bam-Bam. She needs you. Don't put that out there in the universe. _Don't_."

Dave didn't acknowledge Wyatt's comment. Instead, he changed the subject.

"You and Rufus are going to Paris. May 21st, 1927. The third seat in the Lifeboat will be left unoccupied for Lucy. It's a search and rescue op. No more, no less. Do not lose my pilot out there, Logan. He's the only team member I have left," Dave ordered. "How's your head?"

"Fine. Just give me some aspirin and I'm golden," Wyatt said as he sat up and slid his legs off the bed.

"You sure? Looks like you got clocked pretty hard," he observed worriedly.

"We both know I've had worse."

"That's, unfortunately, true," Dave admitted with a half-hearted nod. "Alright, if you're sure, then let's get you to the wardrobe. I'm certain there's a scratchy suit down there with your name on it. And then we'll make sure you have a period accurate weapon-"

"Nope. I'm taking my gun."

"Dude, it's mission rules. You can't take anything back that's not from that time period-"

"Lucy's in danger, Bam-Bam. I'm taking my gun. I'm not using some P-O-S 1927 gun that'll likely jam when I need it most. _I'm taking my gun_ ," Wyatt insisted as they both walked toward the exam room door.

"Christopher's gonna _love_ you," Dave said with a sarcastic snort. "This should be interesting."

* * *

She didn't know where she was.

Or even _when_ she was.

She was still wrapping her brain around _that_ one. The white futuristic machine landed in the middle of a field and then she was dragged into an old chateau. She saw enough to know they were in France. One of the men who worked for Flynn, her abductor, threw her into an old dusty room and then the redhead that had knocked Wyatt unconscious handed her a pile of clothes.

"You'll need to change into those," she said.

"Where are we?" Lucy asked.

"Sorry, Princess, need to know basis only," the redhead said with a taunting smirk before she left the room and shut the door.

"Nice to meet you too," Lucy mumbled while glaring at the closed door.

Was there a way out of this? She told Wyatt to find her but wouldn't it be better to wait for him somewhere else? Flynn kept staring at her. His gaze was intense and it worried her. She explored the room and found no windows. There wasn't even a closet to hide in. The door locked from the outside, so that was out.

She huffed and changed clothes. She recognized the outfit as a Flapper costume. But this wasn't a cheap Halloween imitation. This was a high quality dress with detailed beading. It was gorgeous. It lead her to the conclusion that they had landed in the 1920s. She finished with the shoes and folded her own clothes. The door opened and the redhead entered again. She grabbed the underside of Lucy's arm and took the clothes from her hand.

There was a fire burning in the fireplace in the sitting room and as they passed it Emma tossed her clothes into the flames.

"Hey!" Lucy yelled. Probably stupid, given she had watched how violent these people could be. "You can't just-"

She never finished her sentence as she was dropped onto an uncomfortable ornate chair. Dust billowed from the cushions as she fell into the seat and Lucy made a clearly disgusted face.

"If you don't like these accommodations then you'll hate our next stop."

_Flynn._

He came to stand in front of her and then knelt down to be eye to eye.

"Do you know why you're here?" He asked.

"Because you have some journal that you think I wrote and you're a murderous psychopath," Lucy answered with a glare.

"I'm doing what I have to do," Flynn said with an angry scowl.

"Right. Murdering innocent people through history is totally necessary," she said sarcastically with a shake of her head. "Murdering _Luke_ was necessary."

"If I hadn't, they wouldn't have sent Master Sergeant Baumgardner to retrieve you and you wouldn't be here. So, yes it was necessary," he said with a huff. "It was the only way I was going to be able to talk to you alone. Away from Rittenhouse's influence."

"What influence? I only heard that name for the first time a few days ago," Lucy told him as she crossed her arms over her chest and did her best to look unphased by the way he so easily justified murder.

He held up the leather bound book he constantly cradled and shook his head at her in frustration. "This," he said as he motioned to her entire person as she sat in front of him. "Is not who you're supposed to be. They-I don't know how they did it but they changed you somehow. They must have done something to your personal history. I should not have had to drag you into the past. You were meant to be here already with Rufus Carlin and Master Sergeant Baumgardner."

"Wait. You think Rittenhouse _changed_ me with time travel? You're joking, right? I am not whoever you think you know. I don't know the Lucy Preston you're looking for, but I can tell you she _isn't_ me," Lucy said with a dry laugh. "I would _never_ be strong enough to do all of this," she told him. On the word 'this' she motioned around them to the empty chateau and her flapper ensemble. "I'm a musician who knows an above average amount of history. That's it. I'm not some science fiction heroine."

"Maybe you aren't _now_ ," Flynn said with a sigh. "But you are capable of it. I've read all about you, Lucy. You are fearless and resilient. You just don't know it yet. I need to prove it to you."

She did not like the sound of that. She was going to regret her next question. "How?"

"By recreating a scene from your journal," he told her with an eager grin. "We're bringing you a bit of company and then you'll prove it...to me, to Emma, to my men, and most importantly - to _yourself_."

"Company?" Oh god not Wyatt. Please, don't let this psycho have Wyatt.

"Not your Wyatt or anyone you know," Flynn said with a huff. "Well, not anyone you know _personally_ at least." He nodded to a pair of his guys, one with a big neck and one with a long rat-like nose, and said, "Escort, Ms. Preston, to her new quarters. We have work to do."

Callused hands that were nowhere near as gentle as Wyatt's grabbed the underside of her arms and yanked her up from her seat and pulled her from the room. As she left she thought she heard Emma and Flynn mention the Spirit of St. Louis and something about a flight path. Even with half of a history degree Lucy recognized that combination.

Lindbergh. Flynn was going after Charles Lindbergh.

She didn't know much about time travel but she could assume this was all a precarious exercise in cause and effect. What about her present would be altered if the past was changed? This all seemed much too risky for her liking. She refused to let Flynn win this battle. She would never forgive herself if she failed here and put her world at risk. Wyatt would find her or she would find him and they would return to the world just as they left it.

They _had to_.


	28. Search

The Catacombs. She was in some decrepit cell in the Catacombs. She remembered reading about them and deciding she never wanted to see them. As per usual, the universe didn't seem to care about what _she_ wanted. The clunky wooden door opened and Flynn suddenly entered. She watched him warily as he sat down across from her.

"It occurred to me, Lucy, that you may not even fully understand what Rittenhouse _is_."

She rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. "I don't give a shit about Rittenhouse. I just want to go home."

She didn't want to see Garcia Flynn's face ever again. She wanted a way out of all of this, a way to return to her normal life. She _hated_ him.

"I know you think I'm a monster," Flynn told her. "And maybe I am. But whatever it is that you think I am, _they_ made me this way. They took my family from me. My girls."

She refused to look at him but that didn't stop him from placing a wallet sized photo in her lap. One glance down and she could clearly see how different the man in the photo was from the man sitting in front of her now. In his lap was a little girl, no older than four, and next to him was a beautiful dark haired woman. And Flynn...Flynn looked as if they hung the moon.

"They came for us in the middle of the night. Lorena got up to check on our little girl. It wasn't long after that when I heard it. The muffled sound of a bullet slicing through the air. They tried to silence the shots but I heard them. When it's your house in the dead of night, silencers aren't really silent."

No, she didn't want to hear this. She didn't want to know what her mother and Noah had been up to. She wanted to remain blissfully ignorant of Rittenhouse and all their crimes.

He took the photo back and pocketed it before he continued. "I managed to escape but they used their influence to frame me for my family's murder. I hid out off the grid. Bouncing from city to city to stay off their radar. I wanted to fight them but I was just one man. I didn't have the means or the information I needed. I was hopeless and this close to throwing it all away, when you showed up."

Her gaze narrowed and this time she did look at him. This made no sense. "I have never seen you before. At least not before you ripped me out of that car."

"No, _you_ haven't. Not this version of you. But it was you. A little older, a _lot_ wiser, but still you. You gave me your journal and asked me to fight them. I am merely doing as you instructed, Lucy. I know this all seems overwhelming now, but according to your own written history you and I are meant to work side by side. We are supposed to take down Rittenhouse together and keep them from hurting anyone else," he told her as his imploring eyes met hers. "Yes, I murdered my way through time, but they have done so much more than that. They have oppressed us all from the shadows for centuries, but Rittenhouse is no longer content with the shadows. It is up to us to wipe them from history the way a doctor would surgically remove a cancerous tumor. You must first hurt America in order to save it."

She chose not to reply. She had no idea what she would say but she also didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Time travel may be real but believing that she would ever go back in time to personally deliver her private diary to a madman was a bridge too far. It couldn't be true.

"Do you know that Rittenhouse thrives on bloodlines?" Flynn asked casually as he scooted his old wooden chair closer to her. "That you must be _born_ into it? Which, it seems, you were. That means Rittenhouse's legacy is also your mother's legacy, your legacy, and someday your children's legacy. They will carry on the tradition of murder and tyranny unless _you_ stop them. Is that what you want, Lucy? To contribute to this ledger full of death and destruction?"

No, she didn't want that, but there was no way she was going to become like _him_. Half mad and murdering innocent people who just happen to be in her way. No, she refused to fall into that trap just like she refused to acknowledge that she would ever have anything to do with Rittenhouse. Being born into it did not make it inevitable. They may have broken her mother by murdering her father but they would not break her. She continued to deny Flynn any sort of response. Eventually, he sighed and shook his head before standing from his chair.

"Fine, I will leave you to think about it while we all go and retrieve Charles Lindbergh. When I return, I expect to hear how you plan to prevent me from killing him."

"Kill him?" Lucy asked in outrage. "You can't kill Lindbergh!"

"Oh I can," Flynn promised. "And I will. Unless you can convince me he will turn his back on Rittenhouse."

She felt her mouth drop open and her blood run cold. "Charles Lindbergh is Rittenhouse?"

"It makes a strange sort of sense doesn't it? That America's Golden Boy turned Nazi Sympathizer is Rittenhouse?"

"Rittenhouse or not, he's too important!" Lucy told him. "You can't kill him!"

"Then I suppose you better start rehearsing your arguments now. If you can't persuade him to turn on Rittenhouse then it won't matter how important he is. Not to me," Flynn told her as he turned his back on her and headed for the door. "We'll be back shortly, Lucy. Don't disappoint me."

The door to her cell opened and then closed behind him and she was alone once again. Probably, with Flynn's goons listening in from the other room. She needed to get out of there. Although, if she did would Flynn kill Lindbergh? If he did, what would that change? She closed her eyes and winced before rubbing her temples to ease her pounding head. Even if she knew how to escape, she couldn't. Not without Lindbergh.

God damn it.

* * *

Nobody warned him about the motion sickness. Not Bam-Bam. Not Rufus. Not Christopher. It was "No cowboy stuff. Now get going." and then off into the fucking eyeball they went. That was it. They couldn't have stopped and said, "Hey, Wyatt, want some Dramamine?" No, of course not. He did not have time to be throwing up his last meal, which was honestly far too long ago, while Lucy was out there with a damn psychopath.

That thought sobered him up and had him standing and wiping his mouth. His stomach was still churning but he didn't give a shit. _Lucy_. Lucy needed him.

"You good?" Rufus asked from where he had his back turned.

"Never better," he muttered. "What the hell are we doing way out here again?"

"Well, without Luke there's only so much we can know but Jiya did an internet search and this is the day Lindbergh completed his flight. His landing sight should be a few miles from here," Rufus told him. "That's our best guess."

"You think Flynn took Lucy just to come and watch Lindbergh land a plane?" Wyatt asked with a huff. "Really?"

"Hey, he sent us after Bonnie and Clyde for a stupid ass key so anything is possible. Trust me," Rufus told him with a scoff.

They emerged from the woods to find people whispering and rushing around. Everyone was speaking French so he couldn't understand a bit of it but something big seemed to have happened.

"Do you speak French?" Wyatt asked Rufus.

Rufus laughed and shook his head. "In case that laugh was unclear, that's a 'hell no.' The only other language I speak is binary code and I don't think that's gonna be much help in 1927."

"Then I guess we follow the crowd," Wyatt replied with a sigh. A two man team where he was the only soldier? Yeah, this wasn't going to go well at all. Thankfully, when they reached the crash site there were a few people there murmuring to each other in English so they were able to catch the gist of it.

Lindbergh crashed a few miles short of his target and he was feared dead. He and Rufus shared a dubious look. Wyatt may not know much about history but he knew that was different. His eyes scanned the crowd for any of the faces of Flynn's crew. He'd been briefed and knew who to look for but none of them were here. While scanning the crowd he spotted tire marks and three _interesting_ divots in the ground. Tripod, but not a tripod for a camera.

"The bastard shot him down," Wyatt sneered to Rufus.

"What? How do you know?" Rufus gave him a bewildered glance and Wyatt bit back his irritation at having to explain. There was no time.

"Tire marks over there," he said as he pointed quickly. "The plane landed. The rudder took a direct hit. Tripod mounted Milan from 400 yards shot him down from over there." Wyatt nodded discreetly behind them to where he'd noticed the divots in the grass.

"What? So Lindbergh is alive? Flynn kidnapped him, maybe?" Rufus suggested with a furrowed brow.

"Don't know, and it only matters to me if it leads me to Lucy," Wyatt said as he turned to walk over to the area where he knew the tripod had been mounted. Rufus followed but so did another man. A man Wyatt didn't recognize. His eyes narrowed on him as he put himself between the man and Rufus. "Can we help you with something?"

"You really think Lindbergh is alive? I'm a reporter for the Toronto Star. Name's Hemingway."

Wyatt rolled his eyes and crouched down to look through the grass. Ignoring the man's question completely. Rufus could deal with reporters. Wyatt had better things to do.

He ran his hand over the grass but he wasn't sure what he was looking for. Just any kind of clue that might lead him to Flynn or Lucy. _Anything_. Focusing on the crash site was all that was keeping him from flying into a blind rage and turning 1927 Paris inside out. He wasn't even allowing himself a moment to drink in the past. Not until he had Lucy back. They could marvel about seeing the lights of Paris 90 years in the past _together_. Until then, this was a mission and he was treating it as such. Professional detachment would get him through.

He tuned out whatever stilted conversation Rufus was having with Hemingway. It was unimportant and he wasn't interested in any sort of charade to keep their cover. Rufus was sputtering above him when Wyatt found the butt of a cigarette, but it didn't look like any cigarette he knew. Hand rolled. The tobacco smelled strange.

"Wyatt, this is _Ernest_ Hemingway he's a report-"

"Not interested," Wyatt said tersely as he held out the cigarette butt. "Unless, you can tell us where this came from. Pretty certain, one of the guys we're looking for was smoking it."

Hemingway took it from him. He sniffed, tasted and then grinned at him. "Havana tobacco. Only one district in Paris sells a cigarette like that. God knows I smoke enough of them. Give me the scoop and I'll take you."

"Fine, I don't care. Whatever you want. Just _go_ ," Wyatt ordered.

The idiot took a moment to swig from his flask before turning and leading them away. If he weren't trying to keep it together for Lucy's sake he'd ask for a swig himself.

"That's Ernest Hemingway, Wyatt," Rufus whispered with awe. "You know, _A Farewell to Arms, Old Man and the_ -"

"If it's all the same to you, I don't give a shit," Wyatt said as he cut him off with a grimace. "I'm not a tourist. I'm here for one thing and one thing only, _to save Lucy_."

"Gee," Rufus replied dryly. "Aren't you a delight?"

"The love of my life is missing and I don't know what the hell this Flynn psycho might be doing to her, okay? I'm running on fumes right now and trying not to burn this whole goddamn place to the ground. Can you give me a break or something?" Wyatt told him. "Can we cool it on the 'look how amazing the past is' shit until I have her back _at least_?"

Rufus' annoyed look melted into an apologetic glance and sympathetic frown. "Yeah, yeah, I can do that. Sorry, man."

"I swear I'm not normally this much of a dick," Wyatt told him with a self deprecating grin.

Rufus let out an amused snort. "I'll believe it when I see it."


	29. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** These last several chapters were proofread for me by **TheVelvetDusk** so shout out and a thank you to her for helping me out! She caught so many typos! SHE'S THE BEST HUMAN EVER. Just saying.
> 
> Also, **THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THOSE OF YOU STILL READING/REVIEWING THIS STORY**. Habit is very close to my heart so even if I've only been getting one or two reviews for each update they make my day. I have had so much fun writing the ending to this fic. **FOUR MORE CHAPTERS LEFT** AFTER THIS ONE. OMG.
> 
> I said on twitter a couple of days ago that my last author's note for this fic will be long and intense because I feel like this fic has taught me the most about my capabilities as a writer. I will be forever grateful to this fandom and this story for that.
> 
> So anyway, on with the show.
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> angellwings
> 
>  **PS** \- FILMING HAS STARTED AND LIFE IS GRAND. ABIGAIL AND MATT POSTED LYATT CONTENT. SAKINA ARRIVED ON SET. THE ENTIRE TIME TEAM WAS IN THE MAKE UP TRAILER THIS MORNING. MALCOLM RETWEETED ME AND THE WRITERS ARE GONNA PUT JAN IN THE MOVIE. IT'S BEEN A BIG DAY, YOU GUYS. A BIG DAY.

"The bad news is, it's the only place that's open. The good news is, it's the only place that matters," Hemingway said as he gestured to nightclub filled with people. He pointed with his hat in his hand to the woman on the stage at the front of the room. "If there's anyone who can help us find the folks you're looking for, Josie can."

Wyatt was glancing around the room for any familiar faces when he noticed Rufus go practically catatonic. His mouth dropped open and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Wyatt could swear he even saw a bit of drool.

"Josephine Baker?" Rufus asked in awe. "My mom had a record cover of her that got me through some lonely nights."

Wyatt couldn't help but smirk and quirk an eyebrow at him. "Seriously? How old was that record cover?"

"What? I'm sure you have some weird interests lurking behind your chiseled hero face," Rufus replied with a roll of his eyes. "Everyone does."

A pin-up of Jane Russell he found in his Grandpa Sherwin's old World War II belongings came to mind and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Good point. So, who's Josephine Baker?"

"The most famous entertainer in the country right now. She actually goes on to be a spy in World War II. She's... _hot_ ," Rufus told him simply as his eyes remained glued to her.

The song finished and Hemingway downed a shot of something, wavered on his feet, and then nodded toward the stage. "Come on, I'll introduce you."

"Intro-okay," Rufus stammered as he eagerly followed. "We're gonna meet Josephine Baker."

"That's fine, as long as she can help us find Flynn and Lucy," Wyatt said with tired sigh.

Ernest slurred through an introduction and Wyatt spoke up before Rufus could. He handed Josie three pictures. Flynn, Emma, and Lucy.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Wyatt said as he took off his hat and held it in his hands. He tried not to think of the way 'ma'am' reminded him of Lucy.

"Ma'am?" She asked with a grin. "Let me guess, you're a soldier?"

He smirked at her and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm actually here on an assignment. A rescue mission. The two of them took her," Wyatt said as he pointed between the photos. His finger paused over Lucy's photo for a beat longer. It was unintentional but he could tell Josie noticed. "We have reason to believe they brought her here and then took Lindbergh too. Have you seen any of them? Any information you have could help."

"Nope, never seem them," She answered. She gave Wyatt and Rufus and meaningful glance as she continued. "Lindy and me, we're both from St. Louis, so if there's any chance he survived. I want to help."

"Thank you," Wyatt said with a nod and a polite smile. He craned his neck around the room again which gave Rufus a moment to speak.

"Uh, I'm from the midwest as well, Chicago. Just saying, practically neighbors."

Wyatt bit his cheek to keep from laughing and rolled his eyes. No wonder Bam-Bam liked this guy. He was simply a nice guy. A _nerd_ , but a nice guy.

"Mm," Josie said as she gave him a flirtatious once over. "Windy City. So, tell me, Chicago, how hard do you blow?"

"Uh, S-super uh hard." Rufus struggled to get the words out as Josie bent her head forward and the feathers in her headpiece tickled against his nose.

Wyatt grinned at him the entire time and looked away before Rufus could see. This guy. He was awkward and certainly lovable. There was no doubt that Bam-Bam, and Jiya too, had reasons for respecting him. But _wow_ was Jiya ever cooler than him. It was amusing and endearing all at once.

"Well," Hemingway said as he tried to push passed Rufus' awkwardness. "See? I told you Josie would help. If I had a nickel for every time I hit on this woman I'd have-"

"A dollar five," Josie finished for him.

"Sounds about right," Ernest said before he took the photos from Josie. "We'll take these photos, we'll ask our friends if they've seen them. Hmm?"

Ernest and Josie walked away and Rufus immediately turned to him. "Look, I know Lucy is Jiya's roommate, or former roommate since she moved in with you. But, um, do me a favor and don't tell Jiya about... _any_ of this?"

Wyatt chuckled and patted his shoulder. "You got it, buddy."

While Josie and Ernest made the rounds Wyatt found a tall table and stationed himself around it. He kept his eyes peeled for anyone recognizable or out of place. The more minutes that passed the antsier he became. His fists clenched and unclenched, he shifted his weight from one leg to the other, he discretely checked his side arm. He finally had to put his hat down because he was in danger of crushing it in his hands completely. A waitress past with a tray of whiskey shots and if Lucy's life wasn't on the line he'd take one, but he couldn't risk any slip ups.

Something better turn up to help them out fast or else he really was going to burn all of Paris to the ground until he found her. It had been too long already. Flynn was dangerous and the longer he had Lucy the more likely it was that Wyatt would never get her back.

"You look like you're about ready to combust, soldier."

He turned his head to find Josie approaching with a glass of champagne. He huffed and nodded. "That's because I am. Anything yet?"

"No, not yet," she answered. "Sorry. Don't worry, someone will come through. We'll help you find your girl."

His eyes flashed to hers as she set her glass down on the table next to him. He didn't say anything, he merely stared at her in surprise.

"This isn't just any assignment," she told him. "I could tell by the way you looked at her picture. What's her name?"

He let out a tense breath and rubbed a hand across his brow. "Lucy."

"What's she like, your Lucy?" Josie asked.

The corner of his mouth twitched upward at that and he dared to meet the singer's eyes. "Stubborn, strong, a smart ass, and talented. So very talented. She doesn't even know it half the time. She's a musician, like you. And she's...brave, resilient."

"She sounds like a fighter."

"She is," he told her as he took in a fortifying breath. Just talking about Lucy, even for a moment, was calming his strung out nerves. "Very much a fighter."

Josie's hand landed on his arm and gave it a supportive squeeze. "Then have a little faith in her. If she's as remarkable as you say, she'll be fine."

"She better be," he stated through gritted teeth. "If she isn't then there won't be any place this Flynn guy can run that I won't find him."

"Faith and trust," Josie repeated. "Don't give up hope until you have to."

"Easier said than done, ma'am," Wyatt told her with a mournful sigh.

* * *

It had been hours since they left, Flynn was back and entering the cell. His grin looked smug but his eyes looked dangerous.

"I'm bringing Lindbergh in now, Lucy. You remember what you need to do?" Flynn asked.

"Persuade him to leave Rittenhouse or you'll kill him," she said with a glare.

"Good, you were listening," he told her with a dry chuckle. "He's been hurt. I've sent Emma along with a few of my associates to obtain something to ease his pain. They'll be back shortly. Until then, do what you can."

Flynn turned and left the room without another word. Once he crossed the threshold, Lindbergh was brought in by the two goons who had manhandled her. They threw Lindbergh onto a nearby rickety chair and then retreated to the other side of the cell door.

"What does that lunatic want with us?" He asked with a pained sneer. "Who are you?"

She stared at him for a long moment as she considered how to answer. "He knows that we're part of Rittenhouse."

"Ritten-what?" He snapped.

She sighed and leaned against the wall next to him. "It's okay. I'm Rittenhouse too. I just found out, actually. My mother she-well she has a plan. I tried to run from it."

Lindbergh's eyes softened and he tried to turn himself toward her, but he must have jostled something that was wounded because he grunted and then hissed. She noticed him holding one arm and bracing it against his chest.

"Here," Lucy said as she stood and walked toward him. She took the pointless scarf from around her neck and tried to improvise a sling. "Let me help you. Let's see what this will do, okay?"

While she tied the scarf into a knot, Lindbergh began to speak. "My father he's a, uh, congressman. When he told me what we really are...it's uh...it's hard to take in, you know?"

Hell yes, she knew. She barely understood all the evil Rittenhouse had done and even she couldn't comprehend it. It must be worse for someone who had a grander scope of their crimes. She didn't want any part of it. "Yeah, I know."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"He has a plan for me too. Like your mother. He says that I'm supposed to be their golden flyboy. And then, they want me to say terrible things about all sorts of people."

"Why?" Lucy asked with a furrowed brow.

"Dad says it's a distraction. He says that when you create a scapegoat, no one can know who's really in control."

Jesus, that was a terrifying thought. Who were these people? How could they get away with this? Was there no one who would risk exposing them? And if they were terrifying in 1927, how much _more_ terrifying were they in 2017? "You don't have to do that, you know. My mom, she's-she's a historian. She wanted me to follow in her footsteps. I grew up thinking that's what I wanted too. But then...

"Then?" He asked.

"Then I discovered music," she admitted. "I'm...I'm a singer now. I have a band and I've never regretted that choice, not once. But my mother...well, she-"

"Warned you against it? Tried to steer you back to the path she wanted you to be on?"

She could hear in his tone that he knew. He understood the kind of manipulation that would take.

Lucy nodded and continued with an emotional gulp. "It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, defying her. I grew up with so much anxiety. Disappointing her always felt like the end of the world. But she made me choose. The family or music. It was do as I was told or get out. I would have given in, except I got into an accident. Nearly died. I knew I could never do something that wouldn't make me happy. Maybe I would have liked teaching, but it still wouldn't be something I chose for myself. I wanted to _make my own choices_. Be my own person. And I _have_. I got out from under her thumb and I have never looked back."

His eyes regarded her skeptically, but she saw the hope shining in them. Hope he didn't have before.

"You said you just found out, though," he said with a furrowed brow.

"My mother tried to manipulate me in other ways," Lucy told him. "She tried to plant people in my life...It didn't work, but it meant I discovered our family legacy and some of her plans. I've been terrified out of my mind more times than I can count recently." She paused and then blinked back tears as the image of Wyatt holding her to him in the wake of Noah's breakdown came to mind. His crystal blue gaze and warm smile stayed with her as she continued. Offering her strength. "But I've found someone in the middle of it all. Someone who's stuck by my side. Who always comes for me. And he said something recently, that meant more than he probably knew. Something I've been clinging to since I've been trapped here."

"What's that?" Lindbergh asked.

"We make our own choices. We determine our own future."

"Yeah," he said slowly with a tortured sigh. "It's nice to think about. But...family is family. Blood is blood. I can't even imagine what my father would say."

"Does your father care about what you want, Charles?" She asked him. "Or is he like my mother? She couldn't care less what I want. What do _you_ want?"

He went on to describe a quiet life. A farm, kids, a wife. Simple happiness. Nothing more, nothing less. She urged him to go for it. Begged him to give it a chance. He looked so close to believing he could do it. If the accident was as bad as she'd heard then his entire family thought he was dead. He could hide and live the life he wanted. His odds were much better than her own. She was trapped in a time that wasn't her own, with a man who was unpredictable at best, and separated from anyone who meant anything to her. The simple life was 90 years in the future, and even then she'd probably lost it for good the minute Noah entered the picture.

He expressed doubts to her. He told her he was told to call someone when he landed. A Mr. Charvet. Since he didn't call, he feared people were looking for him. He feared they knew he wasn't dead and that they were coming for him.

 _She_ feared that he was right. They were coming for her, why _wouldn't_ they come for him too?

"You don't have to make that call, Charles. You can decide your future. You can choose the life that you want. This doesn't have to be either of our futures."

* * *

Wyatt and Rufus rejoined Hemingway and Josie. Hemingway wasn't being any help but Wyatt wasn't interested enough to tell him off. He led them to Josie and she was well worth the time spent. Josie joined them from a conversation with someone who may have seen Flynn. Wyatt crossed to stand close to Josie. He couldn't hear the conversation but she looked encouraged. Finally, Josie joined them again.

"So, my friend, Claudette, was working the corner of Rue Emile and Avenue Du Nord earlier today when she saw the man you're looking for walk into a shabby old chateau."

"See?" Hemingway said as he pointed at the both of them. "You're welcome."

He was rolling his eyes at Hemingway when he saw her. The redhead from one of their pictures. _Emma_. He got Rufus' attention and nodded toward the bar. Rufus turned to look just as Emma was being handed a bottle across the bar. He recognized her immediately.

Wyatt set off to follow her with Rufus trailed not far behind. They stepped outside and into the back alley where Emma met up with a tall thin man. The minute they came into view the man began firing. Wyatt shoved Rufus behind several crates and dodged the shots by fitting himself into an alcove in the wall.

They exchanged fire. _Pop-pop-pop-pop_ for Wyatt's slower _pop-pop_. The thin man in the grey suit had a faster weapon, but he was less accurate. Wyatt took a deep breath to center himself and then fired off two more rounds. One hit the thin man in the arm, the second hit him in the chest. He collapsed to the ground but the redhead didn't stop. She ran straight for the vehicle parked at the end of the alley and jumped inside. Tires squealed as it pulled out and Wyatt rushed after it, shooting as he ran. He missed every shot at the car, but it didn't matter.

Emma wasn't his biggest concern anyway.

"Let's go," Wyatt ordered as he took off toward the streets Josie had given them.

"What?" Rufus asked. " _Now_? What about him?"

Rufus pointed to the lifeless body in the alley and then looked at Wyatt expectantly.

"Right, uh, grab his gun. We probably can't leave that behind," Wyatt said with a swift nod.

"Grab his-we're just going to leave him there?"

"What are we supposed to do with him, Rufus? Have a funeral?" Wyatt snapped. "He's one of Flynn's guys and he's done for. You should be thanking me. We have a possible location on Lucy and Flynn so _let's go_."

Rufus huffed and picked up the discarded gun before doing as Wyatt asked by leaving the alley. Wyatt didn't have time to get caught up in an investigation which is surely what would happen if they stayed behind too long. Not to mention that if Emma was headed back to the chateau they ran the risk of them clearing out before Wyatt could reach them. He was so close to having Lucy back. He would not lose this lead.

Luckily, Wyatt had a good sense of direction and they found the chateau with little difficulty. But it was a dead end. The place was deserted. No Flynn. No Lucy. No Emma. Either Emma had beaten them here or they'd never been here at all. Lucy was ripped away from him before he'd even had a chance. This couldn't be how it ended. It _couldn't be_.

There was a broken chair to his left and, in a fit of rage, Wyatt smashed it against the floor until it was a pile of splintered pieces. A large piece ricocheted and hit the floor with a thud. Rufus jumped. Wyatt winced at the frightened expression on his face and thought about apologizing, but then the hollow sound of the wood hitting the floor caught Wyatt's attention.

That wasn't right.

"There's something beneath us," he stated as he stared at the rotting floorboards.

Rufus looked as though he suddenly remembered something and grinned slowly at Wyatt. "The Catacombs. The Catacombs! They're underground. What if Flynn wasn't here for the chateau. What if-"

"He was using it to access the Catacombs," Wyatt finished for him. He smiled at Rufus and clapped a hand against his shoulder. "Brilliant, Rufus. You are brilliant!"

"I mean I helped invent time travel," Rufus said with a scoff and a grin. "Of course I'm brilliant."

* * *

There was a loud crash down the hall from the cell and it immediately set Lucy on edge. No one had come to check on them in a while. She didn't know who was there. Was anyone there at all? The guards that had been by the door left suddenly after a message had crackled across a two way radio, and Lucy hadn't heard or seen anyone else since. There was silence for several more minutes until she heard an exchange of hushed tones and a mix of scuffling steps.

A voice rose above the hushed whispering. Loud and urgent.

"Lucy?"

She gasped and felt that voice thrum through her entire being. She knew he would find her. _She knew it._ She turned to face Charles with a beaming smile.

"Remember I told you I found that person who would always come for me?"

"Yes," Lindbergh said with a nod and half hearted grin, holding his wounded shoulder with his good arm.

"That's him," Lucy told him with barely contained pride. She leaned her face through the small barred window on the door as far as she could before yelling her frantic reply. "Wyatt!"

She spotted his outline as he crossed into the corridor and then in the blink of an eye he was in front of her, beaming at her through the tiny window.

"Thank God," Wyatt said as his eyes connected with hers, relief shining in those deep blue wells of his. "Stand back, Lucy. I need you to stand back."

She nodded and joined Lindbergh on the other side of the room, a second later Wyatt fired a shot at the lock and the door creaked open from the force of the bullet. Once the door was open her feet automatically carried her to Wyatt, meeting him halfway. They folded each other in a tight embrace with his face buried in her hair. She felt him take a lingering moment to breathe her in. His hands searchingly padded along her sides, her back, and then up and over her shoulders and neck. He pulled back and placed a hand on either side of her face. His eyes scanned her quickly. First her face and then up and down the front of her.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He asked with a pinched brow. His hands moved from her face and she felt his fingers press into her shoulders while his thumbs skimmed her throat absently.

"I'm fine," she promised him as she placed a quick chaste kiss on his lips. She wanted to do more than that but she didn't want to stay in the Catacombs a second longer than necessary. "Now, please, get us out of here."

"Happy to," Wyatt said with a determined nod. "The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can go home."

* * *

They dropped Lindbergh off with Josie who promised to help him find a new life and then raced back to the Lifeboat.

"I, uh, I gotta warn you, Lucy," Rufus said with a weak smile. "The Mothership is a lot smoother of a ride than the Lifeboat. She's been known to cause motion sickness."

"And no one's thought to keep any dramamine handy, either," Wyatt told her with a huff as he grabbed her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. He hadn't stopped touching her since he broke her out of that cell. His hand was always somewhere. She was immensely grateful for it. "That damn eyeball is owned by a whole company full of geniuses and not one of them stopped to leave a stash tucked away somewhere. Figures."

"As long as we land in 2017 and I get to go home and take a long hot bath, I can't say I care," she answered with an exhausted sigh.

"I think we can manage that," Wyatt murmured against her ear. "I might even join you."

He said it low and quiet but in the silence of the woodland around them it wasn't quiet _enough_. Her face flushed and she leaned into him as they walked.

"Wyatt, he can hear you."

"No, he can't," Wyatt told her with a roll of his eyes as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"If the _he_ you're whispering about is me then, uh, yes I can," Rufus said awkwardly. "Can you guys put a pin in all the, um, _bath_ talk until you're alone and in the present?"

Lucy mumbled an embarrassed agreement and rolled her eyes at Wyatt as he smirked shamelessly at their pilot.

"I make no promises."

They turned the corner where the Lifeboat was supposedly waiting for them and Lucy immediately froze. Wyatt kept walking and felt the backward tug on his arm before he turned to face her.

"What?" He asked her in concern as he took in her wide eyes and pursed lips.

"Is the Lifeboat supposed to be smoking?" She asked in a wavering tone.

"Smoking?" Rufus asked as his eyes finally landed on the beat up metal orb. "No, it shouldn't be-" He cut off his sentence and let his eyes catalog the thin stream of smoke billowing into the air. "No. _No!_ " He took several steps closer and Wyatt could see him assessing the ship from afar. He must have been able to notice details Wyatt couldn't see because his agitation increased the longer he stared. "You've got to be kidding me. _Again?_ "

"What?" Wyatt asked as he squinted at Rufus and then the Lifeboat. "What's going on?"

"While we were saving Lucy, _they_ were here," Rufus said with a pained groan. "They were here damaging the Lifeboat. There's obviously a fire somewhere and I can make out gaping holes on the outside of it. _Shit!"_

"So, what?" Lucy asked as her face paled and her grip tightened on Wyatt's hand. "We're...we're stuck here?"

Rufus shook his head and let out a forlorn sigh. His brow furrowed as he gave them both a hesitant glance. He considered Lucy's question for a long tortured moment before giving them a resigned shrug.

"I don't know. Maybe. Hey, could be worse," he told them as he turned his back on them completely and headed toward the smoking, hole ridden machine.

"How?" Wyatt asked his retreating figure. "How could this be worse?"

"Could be the French and Indian War," Rufus replied as he tossed them a rueful smile over his shoulder. "That's how."


	30. Control

Lucy and Wyatt knew nothing about the Lifeboat or how it worked so when Rufus came back to them with a weak grin, they took it as a good sign.

"Not a total lost cause," he said. "At least they didn't hit the navigation this time. I just have to patch a bit of the wiring and rearrange a few of the circuits, cover the holes and then we're good. Not as bad as the first time."

"Great!" Lucy said eagerly, not stopping to really comprehend what he had told them. "Then get to it."

"Can't," Rufus said as his face turned grim. "I need certain supplies and I have no idea where to get them. Or even if I _can_ get them. Oh, and Flynn and Emma are back in the present according to the Lifeboat's CPU which means there's no chance of hitching a ride. So, you know, we're still doomed. But at least we're doomed in a time with indoor plumbing and Josephine Baker."

"Josephine Baker!" Lucy suddenly shouted as her face brightened. "She's well connected! She was going to help Lindbergh, right? Maybe she can help us too."

"Not a bad idea," Rufus said with a nod. "At the very least she could point me in the right direction."

Wyatt could have kissed Lucy right then and there. That was a brilliant plan. Josie's was a safe place to take refuge while they regrouped. If not for her embarrassment earlier, he would have followed through with his impulse. He settled for a squeeze of her hand and a wink.

"It's a great idea," Wyatt confirmed. "It's too late to do anything tonight anyway. We'll head to Josie's to make a plan and then get some rest."

"Rest sounds amazing," Lucy said with an exhausted sigh.

For the first time since they found her, he could see the wear and tear in her expression. The emotional exhaustion that came with the physical exhaustion haunted her eyes along with new fears that gave her an edge of frailty. It was an expression that was unlike anything she'd worn before.

As they started to walk back to Josie's Wyatt noticed Lucy shiver in her sleeveless flapper dress and quickly dropped his coat around her shoulders. He pulled her into his side and pressed his cheek to her ear.

"Even if I hate that we're here, I have to admit that 1927 looks good on you," he told her as he grinned against the shell of her ear.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she told him as her heavy lidded gaze met his with a tired but mirthful smirk.

Her willingness to flirt with him reassured him, but he kept her close as they walked. Rest and a moment alone with her was now his top priority. For Lucy more than himself. He was used to being constantly on the go. He was used to being in unfamiliar surroundings. He was used to the constant risk of danger. She was not. There was a crash coming, but he wasn't sure whether she would crash from exhaustion or panic first.

They reached Josie's just as she was returning from relocating Lindbergh. Once they explained the situation she immediately offered to let them stay with her. She had more than enough guest rooms, she said. They told her their vehicle had been damaged and they would need to repair it before they left. It wasn't a lie, but Josie could tell there was more to the story. Especially, when she offered them the mechanic she used for her own car and they all three frantically refused.

Wyatt and Lucy stood back and let Rufus continue to explain. His story wasn't perfect but it was good enough. They worked for the government and the vehicle was a prototype vehicle that only he was authorized to work on. But if she wanted to help, he would need assistance tracking down specific supplies. Could he give her a list? And could she point him in the right direction? She reluctantly agreed but told Rufus that they could work on it in the morning. Right now, it was late and they all looked exhausted.

That was the understatement of all of 1927.

Josie led Lucy and Wyatt to one of guest rooms and gestured them both inside with a sweep of her hand. "This one is perfect for you and your girl, I think." She winked at Lucy as she ushered them inside. "Good night, lovebirds."

"Your girl?" Lucy asked him with an arched brow and an amused grin as the door closed behind Josie.

"What?" He asked her with a smirk. "She said it! Surely it's not sexist if a woman says it. Right?"

She rolled her eyes at him and chuckled. "Fine, I'll let it slide. Besides I'm too tired to make it a big thing anyway."

He heard it this time instead of seeing it, the emotional fatigue. He was glad they were alone. He could figure out the best way to address it now.

He watched her carefully while they both undressed. She showed no care or concern for the clothes she'd been wearing, which seemed strange for her. She loved learning about the past and had a reverence for history. The way she wadded up the ornately beaded dress and savagely threw it aside felt out of character. She kicked off her shoes with a disgusted face and then collapsed back onto the bed in her silky white chemise.

Something definitely wasn't right. Once he was down to an undershirt and boxers he followed her. He rolled to face her and took both her hands in his.

"As glad as I am to see you unbruised, Lucy, I don't think you're _unhurt_ ," he said with a thick swallow as he laced their fingers together. "What happened while he had you? What's wrong? Because _something_ is wrong. I can see it."

"You know," she said as she closed her eyes and turned her face away from him. "Maybe it's a good thing we're stuck here. The past might be safer than the present. What if we just... _don't_ go back?"

"I think we're just over a decade away from World War II and, as much as I would enjoy kicking Nazi ass, I'd rather avoid it if we can," Wyatt answered honestly.

"Well, it's either fight Nazis or fight Rittenhouse and I'm not sure there's much of a difference," she said in a low tearful voice. "You know, that's what _he's_ doing too. He's fighting Rittenhouse."

"Who? Flynn?" Wyatt asked as his face naturally formed into a glare and a sneer.

"They killed his wife and daughter just like they killed my father."

Desolation. Hopelessness. Grief. That was all he heard when she spoke. She was refusing to look at him. He couldn't handle not seeing her face while she sounded so distraught. He used his hold on her hand to pull her to him. She angled her face down, with the top of her forehead hitting his chest. He pressed his lips into her dark waves and tucked her snuggly against him.

"How do you fight an enemy you can't see and that doesn't abide by any of the rules?" She asked him. "You're the soldier. Tell me. How do we do that? Because if we can't and they come for you or Amy then I might as well give in now. I couldn't do this without you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if-"

"You're not giving in, Lucy. You don't have it in you to give in," he assured her. "You're a fighter. We've already been through some tough shit and we're still here. Besides, after what we just went through to find each other again, there is no way they could take me from you. I don't trust anyone else to protect you so I'll be doing my goddamn best to stay alive. _For you_. But I need you to do the same. Because I'm in far too deep to fight without you to come home to."

"You realize that we're in this for good now, don't you?" She asked as her arms went around his middle and grabbed on tight. Like he was all that kept her from running away. "And from what I heard from Lindbergh, murder is just the _tip_ of the iceberg. He said-" She stopped suddenly. Her words had been careening forward in a force of panic, the pace increasing with the pattern of breathing. She broke off her sentence to take a long slow breath and spoke again. Slowly and carefully. "He said that they wanted him to be a scapegoat to distract from who's _really_ pulling the strings. Who...who _thinks_ like that or _talks_ like that? It's so--"

"Calculated," Wyatt finished for her.

"Yes! And as awful as it is to hear that my mother and ex-whatever are involved in murder, it's somehow a hundred times more terrifying to know they're involved in something like _that_. Whatever Rittenhouse is, it wants to control us from the shadows. Like...like a monster lurking in a closet or under the bed. What are they using that control to do, Wyatt? How do we know they're not controlling _us_ right now? Flynn said-he said some things that didn't make sense to be me before but now that I've had a chance to think about them â€” I don't know. And then that night Noah came to Jiya's and the way he talked about us...it's just all somehow fitting together."

He felt a damp spot growing on his shirt where her cheeks rested against his chest. God, she was crying. He hated it when she cried. It _physically_ hurt him.

"What are you saying, Lucy?" He asked. There was something between the lines in her ranting. Something he wasn't clearly seeing.

"I don't think Dave and Celia's wedding was the first time we met," she said after a long quiet moment. "I think they tried to keep me from meeting you and it didn't work."

Noah's words about Wyatt getting in his way "again" rushed to the surface of his memory and he finally saw what she did. The time machine, the way her family is so involved in a secret cult, the constant reminders that they think Lucy had some mysterious importance to the cause...

"You think they screwed with our pasts?" He asked as he felt his throat tighten. The idea of someone taking Lucy away from him and him never being the wiser caused a feeling of terror he had never known. Not even when Flynn had his gun pressed to Lucy's temple.

"Flynn's journal sounded like a completely different version of events than what we're living," she said in a voice that was overcome by tears and just barely above a whisper. "When he took me and he talked to you in the car...didn't it seem like he-he _knew_ you? Or at least knew _of_ you? I think you're in that journal, Wyatt. I think Rittenhouse split us up because we _meant_ something to each other in whatever world they knew."

"Lucy..."

"If they did it once then how do we know they won't do it again? Killing you is one thing but...what if they make us forget each other completely? What if they create a world where I never knew you at all?"

That was it. That was the panic that he had sensed in her all night. That's where it stemmed from. Lucy may live a free spirited musician's life but she still sought control whenever she could find it. She still preferred logic and facts and solid ground. The idea that nothing was solid and everything could shift around her at any moment was upheaving everything she thought she knew.

Her face was still buried in his chest but he couldn't take that any more. She was going to look at him. He was going to make her look him in the eyes. They were both falling over some macabre cliff of impossible heights and he needed to break their fall. He brought a hand up and tilted her face up to his. He found her amber eyes wet and red rimmed, _raw_. He leaned forward and captured her lips in a slow kiss.

The salty taste of her tears mingled with the taste of her mouth and he wanted nothing more than to make her forget the world beyond the two of them. One kiss became a chain of kisses, each more desperate than the last until he had her pushed back into the mattress underneath him. Every bit of her pressed against every bit of him. A constant reminder of their connection. He pulled away and met her eyes as he nudged his nose against hers. When he spoke he made sure to focus his gaze on her darkened but still tearful eyes.

"I promised you I would always come for you, Lucy, that promise applies across all timelines. No matter how much some asshole time terrorist tries to change it. I can't imagine a version of me that wouldn't fall head over ass in love with you. I can't imagine a version of me that wouldn't see you and _want you_. They can try all they like, but we found each other in this timeline and I have no doubt we would find each other again. I'm not normally a spiritual guy but when it comes to you and me I have all the faith in the world. We're a team, an ' _us_.' I love you and, no matter what we go back to or what happens here in 1927, that's not changing."

"I love you too," she replied with a sniffle and a watery smile. Her smiled turned teasing after a moment. "So, we're really running with this meant to be idea, huh?"

"Yes," He told her with a grin and a confident nod. "We're owning it. Meant to be. Destined. Soul mates. Whatever you want to call it. That's _us_."

"And there's that hopeless romantic side of you I love so much," Lucy said with a chuckle and a glance that was considerably brighter.

He stole another soft kiss before replying with a playful wink. "All because of you, ma'am."


	31. Distraire

It took a full night's sleep in each other's arms for either of them to realize that they were actually together. That they found each other. It took letting some of the emotional trauma heal before they could finally feel the joy in that reunion. They were emotionally drained after the days events and their talk just before they drifted off to sleep. They couldn't have stayed awake even if they wanted to.

She'd fallen asleep wrapped in his arms but some part of her had been convinced she would wake up in that same cell in the Catacombs, with Flynn lurking on the other side of the door.

When she woke instead, with her lips pressed into the curve of Wyatt Logan's neck and his arms coiled around her firmly, relief flooded her system and a sleepy smile immediately formed on her face. He really found her. It wasn't a dream. He was real, he was unharmed, and she had him back. She could replace the memory of him from that car with the memory of him asleep next to her. Her last image of him wasn't going to be of his bloody and unconscious form across the backseat of a government issue black sedan. She had a new image of him peacefully sleeping, with a bit of his hair falling in his closed eyes and a five o'clock shadow of stubble peppering his face. It was perfect, beautiful even.

She had no idea what time it was. This room had no clocks, and neither she nor Wyatt were wearing a watch. And it's not as though she can look at her phone. That was left somewhere in the debris of the town car in 2017. Their room had one curtained window and there were no rays of sunshine peeking through it. That meant late night or very early morning.

There was a soft knock at the door and Lucy carefully slipped out of Wyatt's grasp. He shifted slightly when she moved, reaching blindly for a moment before settling on his back. She chuckled to herself as she watched him and then padded toward the door. She opened the door to find Rufus and Josie on the other side.

"Good morning, Lucy," Josie said with a bright smile as she placed a pile of clothes in Lucy's hands. "I brought you and the soldier some clothes in case you needed to change. Also brought you one of my robes. Might get chilly if you walk around here in your chemise. There's tea and coffee in the kitchen. Make yourselves at home."

"Thank you, Josie," Lucy said gratefully. "We can't thank you enough for letting us stay with you."

"It's no trouble," she told her. She turned to Rufus and patted his arm. "I'm going to go get the car. I'll meet you outside in a few minutes."

He nodded. "Be right there."

He watched Josie walk away before he turned back to Lucy. Lucy's brow furrowed at him.

"You're going somewhere?" Lucy asked.

"She and Hemingway are going to help me track down the supplies I need so I can fix the machine. It'll probably take all day."

"Do you need any help?" She asked in concern. "Wyatt and I can come if-"

"Do you and Wyatt know anything about how the Lifeboat works?" Rufus asked her with a knowing grin.

She frowned for a moment and then laughed softly. "No."

"Exactly," Rufus told her with a full smile. "I appreciate the offer but I think it's better if I go with them and you guys stay here. There's less risk of altering anything in 1927 that way."

"Wyatt is not going to like that," Lucy said as she stepped out into the hallway and closed the bedroom door. "You going out there without him."

"Yeah, I thought that might the case. Dave would have hated it too. Honestly, though, Josie and Ernest live here. I think they're probably more subtle, you know?" Rufus asked her. "Flynn and Emma are gone so there's no terrorist threat. I'll be fine. You guys just hang back and enjoy a Parisian flat in 1927 that has an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. You have to admit, you deserve it after everything that happened with Flynn."

She blinked at him for a moment as it finally sunk in.

"Oh. Oh my god."

"What?" Rufus asked in concern.

"We're 90 years in the past."

Rufus let out a chortling laugh and then nodded slowly. "Yes, Lucy. You are. Are you just now realizing this?"

"I never really had a moment to...well to think about it. I was too busy trying to keep myself and Charles Lindbergh alive, you know?" She reminded him with a playful glare.

"Fair enough," Rufus told her with an easy smile. "I guess we can let it slide."

"1927," she said reverently. "God, my mother would have loved this."

"If she's a part of Rittenhouse then let's hope she never actually sees it, huh?"

"Good point," Lucy said with a tired sigh.

"Sorry," Rufus said with a wince. "That probably wasn't very sensitive of me."

"No," she said with a soft chuckle. "But it was true."

"How pissed do you think Wyatt is gonna be that I left without him?" Rufus asked her with narrowed eyes.

"Well, you're the only person who knows how to fix or pilot the Lifeboat so that makes you kind of essential on top of just being a, you know, human being he was assigned to protect so... _pretty pissed_ I'd guess," Lucy said with a weak smile.

"It's just gonna be easier with fewer people. Plus, I don't know what all of our interactions could screw up, you know? We could like inadvertently keep someone's great great grandparents from meeting or something and I really try to avoid those type of ripple effects when possible-"

"Rufus," Lucy said as she placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. I get it. You worry about the Lifeboat," she told him. "I'll worry about Wyatt."

Rufus quirked a brow at her and smirked. "Yeah, I bet you will. Gonna distract him, are you? Keep him _busy_?"

She blushed deep crimson and rolled her eyes at him.

"I mean what with all the bath talk last night and the way he couldn't stop touching you, I'm not exactly _surprised_. Just keep it locked in the bedroom, okay? I don't wanna come back here and walk in on it unexpectedly. That's not exactly the sort of new co-worker ice breaker I had in mind."

"Do you always ramble like this?" Lucy asked Rufus with an amused grin.

"No. Only when I'm nervous. Or terrified. Or unsure. Or socially awkward-"

"So, all the time?" She asked teasingly.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Just go, Rufus," Lucy told him with a laugh as she pushed him toward the door. "I'll handle things here."

He nodded and waved one last time before finally leaving the flat. She put the clothes down that Josie gave her and slipped on the silky robe. It was gorgeous. Light blue with embroidered flowers and lace. She hardly felt worthy of it. She suddenly remembered the balled up beaded flapper dress on the floor of the bedroom and winced. She'd been upset and taken it out on the dress. She would have to see what kind of damage she'd done later.

Right now, she wanted to see this view Rufus talked about. And maybe find out what time it was. Not that it mattered. This wasn't like changing time zones. There was no adjusting to 90 years in the past. She found the view and the time. It was six in the morning and she was just in time to watch the sunrise behind the Eiffel Tower.

"Beautiful," she whispered to herself.

"It sure is."

She jumped slightly and turned to find Wyatt a few paces behind her, looking directly at her. His face was soft and tender. She felt the warmth of it in her cheeks.

"Oh, you meant that," he said with a wink as he pointed past her to the view out the window. "Yeah, that's okay, I guess."

"Careful, Logan," Lucy said with a chuckle. "You're bordering on sappy now."

His arms went around her from behind as she felt his stubble graze her temple. His lips landed there a moment later in a lingering kiss. "Guess you bring it out in me. It can't be helped."

"We're _ninety_ years in the past," she said in awe as she leaned into him and placed her hands on top of his.

"And in _Paris_ ," he added as he started to sway them gently. She felt his head dip down until his lips settled on her neck.

"It is pretty romantic," she conceded. She felt his tongue dart out between his lips and graze her skin. She sucked in a breath and let her head fall back against him as she spoke again. "Not the worst place to be stuck for a few days."

He hummed in muffled agreement from his spot against her neck. His warm breath fanned out over her causing her own breathing to quicken. "Honestly, I don't really care _when_ we're stuck as long as we're stuck _together_. That's all that matters to me."

"Well, you certainly got that wish," she said with a chuckle. "Do me a favor and don't wish for anything else, okay?"

"Smart ass," he muttered before he pressed another gentle kiss to the curve of her neck. "You seem to be in a better place this morning."

She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "That happens when you wake up and realize you weren't dreaming. That you are actually back in the arms of the person you love. And they aren't gone forever. No, they're safe and sound right there next to you."

"Lucky you, getting to wake up like that," he told her with a wide smile. "I woke up to an empty bed so I wouldn't know what that's like."

She laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "Oh my god, do we need to go back to bed and start the morning all over again? Are you going to make this a big thing?"

"I'm just saying, it must have been nice," he said with a smirk and a shrug. "I can't relate, but I'm sure it was as good as you say."

She shook her head and glared playfully at him. "God, you're such a jerk."

"Yeah, but you love me in spite of it," he told her as his hands slowly traced up her sides until one of them dove into her rumpled dark waves. One calloused hand cupped the back of her neck while the other fit itself perfectly into the curve at the small of her back.

"That is unfortunately true," she agreed dryly.

He dipped his head into the last bit of space between them until he was able to barely touch his lips to hers. He stayed just like that for an excruciating moment, moving just enough to bump his nose against her cheek. Finally, when she couldn't take being so close and yet so far, she rose up onto her toes and trapped his bottom lip between hers. She sucked on his lip and tugged him toward her. He followed her forward and pressed her closer in attempt to retaliate and take back control, but he waited too long. This was her kiss now.

She released her hold on his lip so that she could run her tongue across it. The minute he started to groan she muffled it by sealing her mouth against his. It became a battle of tongues and teeth and lips until a natural balance was struck. The desperation that was carrying over from the night before faded and left in its place was their natural rhythm. The soft give and take of two people who simply wanted to drink each other in.

As soon as the pace of the kiss found a steady beat, Lucy reached for the bottom hem of Wyatt's undershirt and lifted it. He obliged her, but as she tossed it aside and then dove back in for another kiss he had one concern.

"Shouldn't we-" he paused to groan as she pulled him in for an open mouthed kiss. He pulled back and shook himself to regain his focus. "-take this somewhere a little more private?"

"Why?" She asked as she moved her mouth from his lips to his jaw and then continued downward.

"You know, so Rufus-" he stopped. He broke off his own sentence when her lips landed on his chest. His voice cracked as her hands trailed lower than her lips and toyed with the waistband of his boxers. "Or Josie, don't walk in on us."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Lucy assured him.

"And why not?" He asked.

"They left."

His hands seized her shoulders and gently pried her away from his chest. "They _what_? Without me? And you _let_ them? Lucy, this is my _job_. I promised Bam-Bam I wouldn't let anything happen to Rufus. He can't go wandering around 1927 alone."

She sighed in resignation and then cupped his face in her hands to make sure his gaze focused solely on her. "Wyatt, he'll be fine. He has Josie and Hemingway with him. They just went to go and track down supplies. Besides, Flynn and Emma already left remember? Rufus will blend in much easier with those two with him than he would with either of us. Not only that, but the more we're out there on the streets the more we run the risk of altering things. Rufus was right to go with actual locals instead of us. And, if it helps, Hemingway fought in the first World War."

"Don't try and fool me with that," Wyatt said with a huff. "You and I both know he was an ambulance driver."

"True, but...he took shrapnel! I mean that should count for something, right?" Lucy asked hopefully. "It was probably very painful."

"Sure, it might," Wyatt agreed. "If he hadn't been drunk off his ass from the moment Rufus and I met him."

"Fine, if you don't have faith in Ernest, then have faith in Josie. She's smart and capable and knows how to be discrete. She'll bring Rufus back in one piece. You know she will," Lucy assured him as she released his face. "And in the meantime, I know exactly what we can do to kill time."

"If your plan is to seduce me until I forget Rufus Carlin exists," Wyatt began as her hands returned to the toned muscles on his bare chest.

He faltered with the end of his sentence as her palms skimmed over his battle scars on his lower abdomen. She heard him inhale sharply as she slipped one finger between the elastic band of his boxers and pelvis. With that one finger she skimmed a repetitive path back and forth over his skin. She could feel the muscles in his stomach coiling under her touch.

"Well, then it just might work," he finished in a low hoarse voice. " _Jesus_."

A satisfied grin spread across her face a moment before Wyatt tilted his head toward hers for a passionate kiss. She told Rufus she would keep Wyatt busy and that's just what she was going to do.


	32. Aimer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** So, majority of this chapter is smut btw. ;) It's the second to last chapter so I had to give you guys one more sexy scene before we wrap up. Look for the final chapter and probably a very emotional author's note on Monday!
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> angellwings

Her hands slipped underneath the fabric of his boxers to grab at his ass and press the length of him tighter against her center. He groaned into her mouth as they continued to exchange kisses and then reached in between them for the sash on her borrowed robe. His fingers fumbled only once and he made surprisingly quick work of untying the sash. He pushed the fabric off her shoulders. It pooled into a silky pile at her feet. His hands found purchase on her shoulders and his fingers traced under the straps of her chemise. He followed those straps down until he reached the v-shaped dip that lead to her cleavage.

She had seemed preoccupied with his chest earlier. It would only be gentlemanly to return the favor, wouldn't it?

His hands cupped her breasts through the slip. Squeezing and then caressing his thumb over her nipple. He felt them come to life and harden as a result of his dedicated attention. She let out an appreciative whimper and pressed herself further against him. His hands continued down over her stomach, stopping to feel the ridge of every rib on his way. He felt the heat between her legs through the silky slip and then bunched it up at her waist. He smirked at the modern lacy lingerie he found underneath it.

"Somebody's not totally period accurate, I see."

"Yes, well, I wasn't exactly brought to this decade voluntarily, was I? No way I was leaving these behind. They were expensive."

He knew she was joking, but it didn't feel like a joke. The image of Flynn's gun pressed to her temple and her terrified face flashed through his memory for a blinding moment until he felt Lucy's gentle hands scrub against his stubble.

"Hey, no, no," she said softly as she pulled his gaze to hers. "It was a joke. A horrible joke, but a joke nonetheless, okay? Don't go back there. You found me. I'm fine. Everything's okay."

It took at least a full minute of staring into her deep chocolate eyes to pull himself out of the pit of self loathing he had been digging, and when he did, he was more determined than ever to remind himself that this was real. That she was _here_. Safe. He needed to feel her, taste her, watch her reactions. He needed to _hear_ her. He wanted every sense he had full of her.

He kept a grip on the skirt of her slip that he still had gathered at her waist and then knelt in front of her. He placed a soft kiss to her stomach and then pulled the white lace down enough to see the top of the small triangle of dark curls between her legs. He kissed her there too and then pulled her underwear down her legs. He trailed open kisses down her legs as he slipped the bit of silk and lace lower and lower. With each kiss she let out a soft appreciative sigh. In one course of action he was feeling her, tasting her, and hearing her.

She stepped out of the underwear and it joined his discarded shirt on the floor. His hands then skimmed up the outside of her legs and thighs. He stopped to grab the bottom of the slip and then continued gliding his hands upward, tugging her free of the slip as he went. A moment later, he was standing in front of her and the slip was on the floor too. They were building up quite a pile of clothes. There was only one piece left that needed to join them. He guided her hands to the waistband she had teased him with earlier and brought his hands up to either side of her face. He pulled her in for a long slow kiss. The taste of her skin was still on his tongue as her mouth opened to his.

He felt her fingers grip around the elastic at his waist and then pull. It wasn't a gentle pull either. He had a feeling he was testing her patience. The boxers fell down far enough that he could kick them off. They were finally free of every boundary they kept them apart.

Her arms tightened around his neck as they stood there in the middle of the flat kissing, naked chest to naked chest for several minutes. His hardness was pressed against the soft curve of her belly when her hand darted between them. He ripped his lips away from hers to bury his face in the curve of her neck, it did nothing to muffle the guttural moan that escaped him.

She pumped her hand over him. His hips twitched of their own volition. Pushing him further into her hold. His hands traveled down her back until they landed on her on the underside of her thighs. In one swift motion he hoisted her up. She sucked in a startled breath but eagerly wrapped her legs around him.

He reached one hand down and guided himself into her wet warmth. She gasped and arched against him.

"Oh my god, Wyatt," she moaned as he walked them backwards to the nearest wall.

Once he had her placed securely between himself and the wall, his white knuckle grip went around her hips and he thrust. Hard, fast, deep. He felt her nails on one hand press into his back and the other dragged him down for a kiss. That kiss had it all. Longing, lust, relief, joy, even some of the remaining hurt from being separated so cruelly in the first place. The emotion in the kiss had him trading his desperate speed for a slower and more tender pace.

Logically, he knew they hadn't been apart that long but to him it felt like weeks. Every hour had equaled an excruciatingly slow _day_ to his heart. So, this was healing all of that. Everything that had gone wrong since they were led to that town car and driven away from Mason Industries was being replaced with this moment. Her skin flushed, her hands kneading the muscles on his back, the reverent whispers of his name on her lips.

She was close to the edge and he was close to falling over it with her, but wanted to watch her fall first. He wanted to see the release on her face. So, he held himself back as best he could and brought a hand to the bundle of nerves between her legs to aid her in letting go. She threw her head back and he quickly moved his other hand to pad it before she hit the wall. Her eyelids fluttered closed and then he felt every muscle she had tighten around him. Her mouth dropped open and a strangled cry left her throat as she arched against him. God, she was _gorgeous_. Stunning, beautiful, breathtaking...just _everything_.

He barely held it together as she came but when she spasmed around him a second time he was for sure gone. Falling over the ledge in a rush of heat and adrenaline until he went slack against her and let his head fall forward on to her shoulder. He felt her nails scraping soothingly across his scalp, gently caressing him as he breathed heavily against her.

She chuckled as he lifted his head. It took him a moment but eventually her features came into focus through his hazy afterglow.

"You know, I really thought we'd make it back to the bedroom first," she said as she smiled lazily at him. "You took me by surprise, Master Sergeant."

"Good surprise?" He asked with a smirk.

"Oh, more than _good_ ," she told him. "Definitely more than _good_."

Later, after they'd cleaned up and actually successfully made it back to the bedroom, Wyatt tucked a sated and well kissed Lucy Preston into his chest and watched her stubbornly refuse to fall asleep.

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Sleep, Luce. We still have quite a bit of day left. Plenty of time for you to continue to _distract_ me."

She mumbled something he couldn't understand but nodded and curled further into him. Her breathing deepened and he found himself listening to it and enjoying the feeling of the steady rise and fall of her chest against his. Eventually, he drifted off with her. When he woke next he found her flat on her back in the space next to him, the only thing connecting them was the one hand she left resting on his chest. He grabbed that hand and held it in his as he turned on his side to look at her.

Her other hand clutched the sheet to her chest and he heard her sigh in her sleep and caught just the barest upward twitch of her lips. He knew she tended to have bad dreams after traumatic events. He half expected them to return in the aftermath of Garcia Flynn, but he was relieved to find no distress in her expression.

He wasn't sure how late they'd slept, but he knew Lucy had to be exhausted. She'd slept well the night before but not for very long. Her body was probably just now catching up with her. There was no sunlight coming through the curtains on their one window, no light at all actually, so he could assume it was late in the day.

He heard the front door open and close and then muffled voices. _Rufus and Josie._ He got out of bed and threw on his pants and his undershirt before heading out into the rest of the flat to check on them. He found Rufus bidding Josie good night as she left the room. She waved as Wyatt passed and then winked at him.

"You look like you had a tiring day, Soldier. Glad to see you and your girl making yourself at home."

"That obvious, huh?" He asked with a smirk.

"Let's just say you look much happier than you did last night," she told him with a chuckle. "I can only assume that's all because of Lucy."

He laughed lightly and called after her as she continued on her way down the hall. "You assume correctly, ma'am."

Once Josie was gone he turned his focus to Rufus with a stern stare.

"Nice of you to fill me in on the plan," he told him as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It wasn't a big deal. I got everything we needed and no one was the wiser thanks to Josie and Hemingway. Flynn's no longer here so it's not like I was actively in danger," Rufus explained.

"I know I'm only a temporary teammate for this mission, Rufus, but for the time being it's _my job_ to watch your back. I need to be able to do that. So, no more running off in the early morning hours without at least _telling me_ , okay?"

"Okay," Rufus said with an apologetic wince. "I didn't think of it that way. I'm sorry."

"No worries, just...try to keep that in mind. What's the plan for tomorrow?" Wyatt asked him. "We're following your lead on this one."

"Tomorrow I fix the Lifeboat," He declared with a confident nod. "I've got everything I need and I should be able to get the work done with in a day."

"Rufus," Wyatt said excitedly. "That's amazing!"

He grinned with pride and nodded. "It is, isn't it? I am going to need some help though. You think you and Lucy are up for it?"

"I think we're up for anything that gets us out of here," Wyatt answered honestly.

"Good, then you better get some sleep because we're leaving bright and early in the morning," Rufus told him. "It's going to take me all day to repair it but the earlier we start then the more likely it is that I can have us home before sundown."

Home. Home where Rittenhouse might be waiting to try and put a wedge between himself and Lucy. Home where Garcia Flynn thought Lucy had all the answers. Home was quickly becoming just as treacherous as the past.

But they all had people waiting on them. They needed to get back. He said good night to Rufus and returned to Lucy, who was still sound asleep and looking more peaceful than he'd ever seen her. Maybe some of that peace would rub off on him just by sleeping next to her.

It was worth a shot, he thought as he crawled into bed beside her. Any excuse to hold Lucy Preston in his arms was good enough for him.


	33. Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Here we are! The last chapter! Be prepared for the longest Author's Note EVER. I'm sorry I have FEELINGS.
> 
> I can't believe I actually finished this story. There was a while there where I doubted it would even happen. This story started out as a one-shot/drabble in a collection of prompt fics called "Things You Said Through Time." Basically, I had run out of ideas for "things you said under the stars and in the grass" so I thought "well, I'll make it an AU where they're set up on a blind date at a wedding" because that seemed light and cute. And then people LOVED it. I got comments asking to continue it so I did. When I first started to expand it, I thought it would be 5-10 chapters. I fleshed out the idea as I wrote and by chapter 3 I had the end scene in mind. I knew where all of this would be leading to. I still thought I could manage that in 10 chapters. Silly me. By chapter eight I knew 10 chapters was a foolish pipe dream. To get where I needed to go was going to require a lot more time and attention than I originally thought. BUT WE'RE HERE. This is the ending I planned out during those early chapters, the ending I've always imagined. I hope you all like it! I had fun plotting this story and weaving in canon where I could and exploring this world where Lucy and Wyatt defied Rittenhouse simply by finding each other. This story was sometimes a safe place for me to go when the season two angst was too much. I hope it was for all of you too.
> 
> I learned so much about myself and my abilities while writing this story. As silly as it sounds, I wrote my very first smut scene in this story. Before Habit I wrote around it and faded to black, but with this story it felt essential to write those scenes to establish how intimate these two were so I finally went there. And the support from you guys was ASTOUNDING. You all were so reassuring about it which was wonderful to hear because I was extremely nervous. But I also learned the intricacies of plotting from this story and how to lay the groundwork for future ideas. I never did that so much as I did with this story. This story was a lot of throwing hints of what was to come - establishing that there was something ominous happening in the background of this love story that these two people weren't aware of. I learned so many more things in the process of writing and brainstorming this fic.
> 
> Which brings me to my 'thank you' section...
> 
> Thank you to the **Angst Brigade** as a whole for letting me bend their ear through out this whole process about various plot decisions and canon details. Thank you specifically to **Iambeck** **, TheVelvetDusk,** **JennaKaylor,** and **Katertots** for all their input over the life of this story! There were points in this story where their advice revived my muse. Thank you to those of you who consistently reviewed: **Shelly** , **TheVelvetDusk** , **llmarmalade, Sarrabr4, Chgrgal, penka67, Gracielinn, PeachCheetah, IBYAA, LivingInSmilesIsBetter, interstellarbeams, Iambeck, Frozen_In_Time_27, Emily Simpson, Talz89, K_lara7, jbiemann, daniellemydear, yodasnuggs, Annie**. I am so impressed and grateful for all of you! I enjoyed hearing feedback from all of you whenever you were willing to offer it. Connecting with readers and other writers is one of the most rewarding parts of fanfiction. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!
> 
> Okay, and now that I have tested the limits of author's notes, let's get on with the show!
> 
> Happy reading!
> 
> angellwings

The next morning, Wyatt awoke with a peacefully dozing and very naked Lucy Preston in his arms. If not for the room and the lack of a fireplace he would think he was having that dream again. The one he had while she was missing. He would give anything to find a place like that to run away to. For both their sakes. But no, they were in the same flat and in the same _year_ as yesterday. They needed to get home first and then the two of them could work out their next steps. His priority was keeping her safe. Whatever she decided to do, fight or hide, didn't matter as long as he was there next to her.

Her back was spooned against his chest with his arms holding her to him. He kissed the back of her bare shoulder and then up her neck. He would love to stay in this bed with her all day, but they had work to do.

Today, Rufus was fixing the Lifeboat and he said he needed their help. If things went according to Rufus' plan then they would be on their way home by the end of the day. As much as he loved having Lucy all to himself in 1927...

God, he hoped everything went according to plan.

He was sure Bam-Bam was raging with worry and who the hell knew what the Mothership was up to without the Lifeboat to chase it. For National Security, they needed to get home. As long as they were here, everyone else they knew was in danger. Lucy's fears about Rittenhouse were well founded. They were calculating and had a lot of resources. Any weakness on their end could result in them asserting power. And being stranded in the past was definitely a weakness.

He felt Lucy stretch languidly as she stirred awake and a moment later she was turning to face him with a serene sleepy smile. Her light touch skimmed over his arm, tracing circles, before it traveled across his neck, up his cheek, and then back through his hair.

"Good morning," she greeted softly.

Again, apart from the room itself, he had dreamed all of this before. The lightweight relief of the fact that he didn't have to dream about it now washed over him and had him pulling her in for a kiss that was much too heady for the early hour of the morning. But he couldn't seem to stop himself.

"Just so we're clear," Wyatt said as he pulled away and pressed his forehead to hers. "When we get back to the present, I go where you go. Wherever the hell that is, I don't care. If you decide to live off the grid or help Homeland fight back...whatever it is you decide to do, I'm with you."

"Wyatt, can you make that promise?" She asked him with a sympathetic smile. "Your leave will be up event-"

"It doesn't matter, Lucy. None of that matters if I can't be the one to watch your back," he told her earnestly. "It has to be me."

She didn't bother trying to point out all the ways that statement would be near impossible. Instead, she dragged a hand along his stubbled jaw and gave him a nod with her watery eyes focused on his. "Okay."

And just like that, the discussion was over.

"Rufus said he's going to need our help today," Wyatt told her. "He's going to start on the repairs."

"Right," she said as she placed a quick chaste kiss on his lips. "Then we should get up and get dressed."

Before he could say another word she was out of his arms and out of bed, slipping on the change of clothes that Josie brought her the day before. He didn't rush to follow her. Why would he? He had a pretty good view from his spot on the bed.

"You know, you burning a hole straight through me with those eyes of yours is hardly productive," she told him teasingly as her bright amber eyes found his.

"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show," he told her with a chuckle and a crooked grin. "Burlesque is popular now, right? So, when in Rome, Professor."

She blushed from head to toe, which was a sight he would be committing to memory, and then threw a throw pillow at him. Her shy smile told him she wasn't actually mad as she spoke with a halfhearted glare. "You're a pig."

"Not at all, I'm happy to return the favor if you want," he said with a wink. "You can watch me get dressed any time you'd like, Preston. This is an equal opportunity show."

She tossed his change of clothes at him and laughed. "Get dressed."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied.

* * *

It turned out Rufus didn't need too much help from either of them. He had Wyatt dig a hole and bury a letter in a plastic tube at an oddly precise distance from the Lifeboat as soon as they reached the landing site. Wyatt and Lucy spent the rest of the day as extra hands. Holding things in place when he needed it, holding a flashlight over his head so he could see inside the different cubby holes that house the circuitry, watching for a reaction on the Lifeboat control panel when he patched certain wires. If they thought Rufus was brilliant before, they thought he was a certified _genius_ now.

Several hours later, the controls lit up and stayed on. They didn't flicker back out after a few moments. That meant everything worked. Now, they needed to patch the holes on the exterior as best they could. There was a charred gash on the back where the fire had been and three holes around the Lifeboat hatch.

"Could we get home like this?" Lucy asked as she motioned to the working but hole-riddled machine.

"Possibly. But it's also possible that the weakened metal and exposed wires could cause us to explode into fiery pieces mid-jump."

"Right," Lucy said as her mouth fell slightly open in surprise. "Let's _not_ do that."

"Glad to see we agree on the not blowing up thing."

"Pretty sure you can count on that to be a unanimous conclusion, Rufus," Wyatt told him with a chuckle.

They spent several more hours patching the holes. They bolted improvised metal coverings over the weak areas. The metal wasn't as thick as the Lifeboat's actual casing but Rufus assured them it _should_ hold. Finally, as the sun began to set, they were ready. Rufus climbed in first and turned the machine on, followed by Lucy who was partially hoisted up into the entrance by Wyatt's hands on her waist, and then Wyatt himself.

"Huh," Rufus said with a furrowed brow as he glanced at one of the screens.

"I don't like the sound of that 'huh'," Wyatt said as he watched Lucy struggle with her seatbelt in his peripherals.

"It-it could be nothing but--"

"But?" Lucy asked with a huff as she threw the buckles aside and gave up.

"Flynn and Emma made three jumps while we were stuck here. Three short jumps. And one of them should be impossible unless...well, unless Emma being in the past all those years means she technically didn't exist in the present," Rufus said thoughtfully as he continued to flip various switches.

"There are times you can't jump to?" Wyatt asked as he shut the Lifeboat hatch.

"You can't jump to any time you already exist and you can't double back to a time you've already visited. It's bad."

Wyatt then knelt in front of Lucy and reached for her seatbelts. "Define bad."

"A pilot tried it once and not all of him came back," Rufus told them reluctantly as he grimaced at the memory.

"Yes, I would say that's bad," Lucy agreed as she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "So, you think the loophole for Flynn being able to do it is...Emma? That's the red head, right? I did _not_ enjoy her company."

Wyatt focused on buckling Lucy into her seat but made sure to listen while Rufus talked.

"She hid out in the past for _years_ so technically there's a gap where she didn't exist in the present. We all thought she was dead. So...I guess she could theoretically travel to a more modern year and she could definitely travel to a time where Flynn had already been."

"What years did they go to?" Wyatt asked as he double checked his work on Lucy's seat belts.

"1979. 2012. 1937," Rufus read aloud. "1937 is one I know. That was the team's first mission. But I don't recognize these other years. They weren't in any of the years for very long. Just a matter of hours. I can't imagine they did too much damage."

"Well," Wyatt said as he sat down in his own seat and buckled himself quickly. "I guess we're about to find out. Let's get out of here before they jump somewhere else."

"Good point," Rufus said as he strapped himself in. "Hold on. Apologies in advance for the bumpy ride."

* * *

Rufus and Wyatt had warned her about traveling in the Lifeboat but it was _so much worse_ than they described. The Mothership felt nothing like this. Why couldn't the good guys be stuck with the nicer ship? The Lifeboat landed with a jolt and Lucy leaned her head back and closed her eyes for a long moment. Trying to force her stomach to settle and her head to stop pounding. She opened one eye and found a pale faced Wyatt, breathing very deliberately in and out.

"You okay?" He asked her as he undid his harness.

"Been better," she answered with a grimace. "You?"

"I'm good," he replied. Though his face looked anything but _good_. "Rufus?"

"Yep, solid. You know as solid as I can be after being tossed around all of space-time," Rufus told them both as he turned to face them. "This is going to be an exciting debrief. Hopefully they found our letter or Jiya is going to kill me for making her worry." He gave Lucy a small smile. "She was worried enough about _you_. Which means you should go first. She can't be mad at me after seeing you're alive and well, right?"

Lucy chuckled at him and nodded with an amused expression. "Sure," she told him. "I'll go first."

Wyatt hit the button for the hatch and then offered her a hand to help her step down onto the first step. He and Rufus were one step behind her when they heard Lucy speak hesitantly.

"Uh, guys?"

They exchanged a wary look and joined her on the stairs. They were met with a whole slew of new agents and two brand new faces in the middle of it all.

One of the new faces stepped forward and nodded at the three of them.

"Mr. Carlin, Ms. Preston, Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan, it's a pleasure to meet the three of you. My name is Agent Neville of the NSA and I've been assigned to take over this project from Homeland Security."

"What?" Rufus asked. "What about Agent Christopher?"

"I believe she's being reassigned," he answered.

"Did Flynn do this?" Rufus asked Wyatt under his breath before they both began to glance around the room.

Lucy spotted Jiya and waved. She waved back with an awkward grin that seemed oddly unenthusiastic.

"Where's Bam-Bam?" Wyatt asked Agent Neville.

"Master Sergeant Baumgardner was never fully briefed and therefore never a part of this team, at least as far as I've been able to catch up," Agent Neville answered. "Your teammates somehow convinced Homeland to keep you on despite your numerous failures to take out Garcia Flynn. I will not be so generous. I take it from the letter we found he got away once again?"

Wyatt blinked at the older man for a lingering moment. Lucy could see the shock and confusion in his eyes. "I'm sorry, _what_?"

Neville sighed tiredly. "You are to take him out next mission or I'm bringing in Baumgardner. Understood?"

She watched Wyatt forcibly hide away his concern and then take the stance of a soldier. Legs wide, hands behind his back. "Yes, sir."

"Let's debrief," Agent Neville said as he turned their backs on them. "Follow me."

Rufus nudged both Wyatt and Lucy as they followed and motioned to the other new face on the upper level of the platform. "That's Cahill."

Lucy looked up and recognized him as the man from the pictures they'd gotten. Ben Cahill smiled gently at her and nodded in acknowledgement. His face looked eerily kind for someone that she knew was a member of an evil cult.

Wyatt's eyes narrowed on the back of Neville's head and then swiftly bounced up to Cahill before he leaned forward to whisper to both of them. "This isn't a standard reassignment. There's too many people who have gotten clearance too fast, and then Cahill's here? No, this is a coup. They've been planning this for a long time."

"Why don't they know Dave?" Rufus asked.

"Must have been one of those jumps Flynn made," Lucy answered. "Right?"

"I don't know and until we do no one say anything to contradict what they believe. If they think I'm the soldier they've had all along then we roll with it. Got it?" Wyatt ordered in a hushed tone. "At least until we figure out what the _hell_ is going on."

Lucy and Rufus nodded their agreement.

"And no one divulge more than the basic details of this mission in this debrief. Not a word about You-Know-Who," he advised. "We know nothing about it."

A silent agreement passed between them as they reached a conference room. As far as this debrief was concerned, Rittenhouse didn't exist. Neville directed them to sit down on one side of the table while he took the other.

"Now," Neville said as he sat down. "Let's start from the beginning. Flynn took Professor Preston from Homeland's protective custody and then--"

She nearly furrowed her brow at him but caught herself before her confusion could make an outward appearance. _Professor_ Preston? She was a _professor?_ Good God, she was in so far over her head. What the hell did Flynn and Emma change?

What had they come home to?

* * *

The debrief ended and they were immediately approached by Jiya who told them Agent Christopher had been escorted from the building earlier in the evening. Rufus directed Lucy and Wyatt to the locker room and then took a moment with Jiya. Their lockers were adjacent to each other. Lucy opened her locker to find a messenger bag, a change of clothes, a cell phone, and on the top shelf of the locker a large diamond ring with a platinum band.

She took the phone out and found several voicemails and frantic texts. This time she let her brow furrow with worry and panic. There was no one around who shouldn't see it. The voicemails and texts were from her mother and Noah.

Her mother. _And Noah_.

"Oh god, Wyatt?"

"Let me guess, strange items in your locker?" He asked. She glanced over at him and found him staring at an old creased photo with a bewildered expression.

"No-well yes, but that's not what I meant. I...Noah-he--" she paused and read over a few of the messages. She scrolled through her text history with him until she found a picture. It was from close to three months ago. It was of her and Noah on a beach, kissing passionately, with a large diamond ring on her left hand. The same ring that was sitting on the top shelf of her locker.

When her sentence trailed off Wyatt crossed the room to her. "What? What's wrong?"

She tilted her phone screen toward him and then pulled the ring off the shelf. She stared at it as if it might come alive and bite her while she spoke. "I think-oh god, I think Noah and I are engaged."

"The hell you are," Wyatt sneered as he took the ring out of her hand. "He's a douchebag and no change to history can fix that." He placed it back on the shelf in her locker and then handed her the change of clothes and the messenger bag that were still inside. He slammed the locker door and turned her away from it. "You're not the Lucy from this timeline. _You_ are not engaged. _She_ was. Let's just change clothes and get the hell out of here."

Lucy continued to look through her phone as Wyatt led her toward the changing rooms. There were two more glaring differences in her phone. "I don't have a number for Amy or Celia in my phone. Do I not talk to them anymore?"

Wyatt pulled her into his side and kissed the top of her head. "Lucy, we'll figure it out. I promise. But we have to get out of here first. Too many prying ears, okay?"

"Okay," she answered. She understood what he was saying but she was too preoccupied with worry so it did little to calm her fears.

They changed and dropped off their period clothes and then headed for the employee exit. Lucy couldn't believe this outfit was hers. She hadn't worn a blazer since college. This professor version of herself really needed to branch out a little bit. Thinking about this alternate version of her led her back to the items in her locker and that was when Lucy remembered the photo Wyatt found in his.

"What was in your locker?" She asked. "The picture that you were holding."

He shook his head and gave her that same bewildered expression she'd seen earlier. "It was, uh, a picture of me and Jess."

"Your ex-wife?" Lucy asked. "Why would you carry a picture of your ex around with you?"

"I don't know," he answered. "But I must have been carrying it for a long time. It's pretty beat up." He held up his left hand to show her the lack of a ring and then shrugged. "But it's clear we're not still married. So I'm... _confused_. I mean I'm _very grateful_ to not be married but I can't think of another reason I would keep a picture of her with me."

Oh god, she hadn't even thought about the possibility of Wyatt coming back _married_. Her chest clenched at the potential pain involved in that idea and then she forced herself to forget it was even a possibility. She reminded herself of his words from their first night together in Paris. They were meant to be. Destined. _Soul mates._

As they reached the parking deck, neither really knowing what cars they were looking for, they both received a text.

"It's Agent Christopher," Wyatt told her. "Apparently, I have her number."

"Me too," Lucy said as she read the message on her phone. "We're supposed to meet her somewhere."

He nodded. "It looks like the address is a warehouse in Oakland." He glanced down at his keys and then around the garage. "My keys look the same. I'm assuming what I drive hasn't changed. Come on, we'll worry about your car later."

* * *

Lucy was quiet as he drove away from Mason. Too quiet. Her lips were pursed and her brow was pinched. She kept looking through her phone. Flipping through photos and text messages, call history and emails. He may have seen an internet search or two. He removed a hand from the wheel to pull the phone from her grasp.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he set the phone aside in one of his cup holders. "Talk to me."

"We're different here," she told him. "You and me. I'm engaged to someone else. We're coworkers. _Friends_. That's it. And you carry around a picture of your ex-wife--"

He grabbed her hand and weaved his fingers through hers as her sentence faded away. "We are not _them_ ," he told her. "We're a team. Partners. I don't know about this Wyatt and his Jessica but I know about mine and I can tell you what I have with you is nothing like what I had with her. We were young and impulsive and we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We had growing to do still and we did grow. Just _apart_ instead of together. Jessica is the past, even if she somehow becomes my present, _you_ are my future." He brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles softly. "Soul mates, remember?"

"If you hadn't been the one to come and get me and I came back to all of this alone--"

He squeezed her hand and ran his thumb across the back of her hand. "But I was and you didn't. _We_ haven't changed. Unless you _want_ to be engaged to Noah," he said with a knowing grin.

She rolled her eyes at him and scoffed. "Hell no."

"Okay, then we're good," he said with a light laugh.

"But we're not," she said with a conflicted sigh. "This isn't my life. I'm not a history professor. I'm not engaged to a doctor. I don't speak to my mother and my sister is my best friend. This Lucy...this Lucy apparently doesn't even know how to contact her sister, lives with her mother, and has a guest lecture scheduled at Stanford _next week_. I am not a historian! I can't do that!"

He winced at that but turned a sheepish smile on her. "Well, there's always google."

The look she gave him was not amused.

"Just you know, fake it till you make it."

"Fake it till I make it? In front of a lecture hall full of college kids who probably know more about history at this point than I do?" She asked him dryly.

"Or just tell Stanford something came up," he suggested. "One problem at a time, Luce. We're gonna fix it. Whatever it is Flynn and Emma did, we'll fix it."

"Not if Rittenhouse has control of the Lifeboat," she told him with a crestfallen face.

"Then we'll fix that too. We'll fix everything," he told her with determined confidence. "Together. There's nothing they can do that will keep me from you, Lucy. No amount of changes or threats that will stop me from helping you with whatever you need. If you believe in nothing else then believe in that."

He said it like a statement but she knew it was a question. He wanted her to confirm it. He needed her to have just as much faith in them as he did. He could hold on for her but it would make this battle a lot harder on him. He would do it but it would hurt. So, he needed to know that her confidence in him matched his own in her.

"I do," she assured him as she squeezed his hand. "We've already proven ourselves together. I have no doubts about you, Wyatt. I promise. I'm just...scared."

"Good," Wyatt told her. "That means you know what's at stake. Being scared isn't a weakness, Lucy. Use it. Use it to fight back. You're stronger than you know. I see it in you every day. You _can_ do this and if you need anyone to lean on then _I'm right here._ "

Was he right? Could she do this? Could she fight her newfound family legacy? Did she have that kind of grit?

Maybe. If Wyatt saw it in her then maybe it was possible. After all, this wasn't the first time she had ever stood up to her mother. She did it once. _She could do it again_. Especially, if Wyatt was with her.

* * *

"So you're telling me, in the timeline you came from, the three of you _weren't_ my team?" Agent Christopher asked as they all stood in front of her a half hour later.

Rufus shook his head at her. "No. It was me, Bam-Bam, and Luke. I didn't even know Lucy and Wyatt existed until I met them at Bam-Bam's wedding."

"Luke? Who's Luke? And Master Sergeant Baumgardner was never briefed at yours and Lucy's insistence," Denise told him. "This team has always been comprised of one engineer, one soldier, and one historian. Rufus Carlin, Wyatt Logan, and Lucy Preston."

"But I'm not a historian," Lucy told her. "My mother wanted me to be one but I told her no. I dropped out. I'm-" _The accident_. The band. She never chose the band. That's why things were so different. That's why Celia's number wasn't in her phone. Why she had always been a part of this team. This Lucy followed her mother's plan for her. This is what her life would be if she hadn't defied Rittenhouse, all those years ago, without even knowing it. "Oh, god."

"By the way, you left this behind this time, Lucy. I tried to keep it safe for you. I know how much it means to you," Agent Christopher said as she placed a gold locket into Lucy's hands.

"This was my grandmother's," Lucy said as she examined the locket and opened it up. Inside was a picture of Amy. "And _this_ is a picture of my sister."

Denise nodded. "We had a deal to save her. That deal still stands."

Cold hard dread ran through her like a sudden bolt of lightning. No. _No._

"Save Amy?" Wyatt asked as he placed a steadying hand on Lucy's back. "What do you mean save Amy?"

Agent Christopher looked immediately apologetic as she explained. There was an element of shock in her eyes too, as if she couldn't believe things had changed quite _that_ much. "After your first mission, you came back and Amy no longer existed. Lucy and Jiya concluded that someone survived the Hindenburg that shouldn't have and prevented Carol Preston from meeting Amy's father, Henry Wallace. Lucy agreed to come work with us if I helped her find a way to save Amy."

Her two biggest fears had been losing Wyatt or losing Amy. One of them came true. Amy was gone. Not even dead, just _gone_. Like she was never there at all. Lucy felt tears in her eyes and a tremble in her lip. A few tears silently fell as she managed to speak. "But if my parents never met then-then how am I here? That...that shouldn't be. I mean not unless Amy and I had different--" Her sentence trailed off as a thought struck her and she knew Wyatt had the same idea. His hand trailed up and down her back for a lingering moment before he finished her sentence for her.

"Unless you had different fathers. They did, didn't they?" Wyatt asked Agent Christopher.

"Ben Cahill is Lucy's biological father," Christopher told them with concerned glance. "My version of Lucy just found out before the jump to Paris."

"Oh shit, Lucy," Rufus sad as he edged closer to her too. "Both parents? I-I'm so sorry."

Her whole life was different. _Everything_ had changed. Her father was no long her father. Her sister didn't exist. Her best friend was who the hell knows where. She was _engaged_ to her former stalker. And she was _a history professor_? She was done. She was just done. She couldn't process anything else. Too much had happened while they were gone. This wasn't even her _planet_ anymore.

"Anything else I should know?" She asked in a hollow voice.

"You moved in with your mother to avoid Noah," Agent Christopher told her.

"No. _Absolutely not_. I will not go home to that. _To her_. She's one of them-"

"You're not going home to her, Lucy," Wyatt assured her as he pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms completely around her. "You don't have to see her or Noah or anyone you don't want to. Okay?"

She felt him press several small kisses to her temple before she nodded and then rested her head on his shoulder.

"I told you I would keep you safe," he whispered against her hair. "I'm making good on that, Professor. I've got you."

"I hate to say this," Christopher said as she glanced apologetically at Lucy. "I know I'm throwing a lot at you at once but...Carol Preston being Rittenhouse isn't our most pressing problem at the moment. You said Ben Cahill was at Mason when you left?"

Rufus nodded for all of them while Wyatt and Lucy were distracted.

"Being his usual creepy as hell self," Rufus answered.

"I had my suspicions before but...well I think those NSA agents are with Rittenhouse."

"We thought--well, _Wyatt_ thought that might be the case," Rufus agreed. "I sent Jiya home before we left. Told her to call in sick."

"Absolutely not," Denise said in surprise.

"What?" Rufus asked.

"I need as much inside man power as I can get. We could use her help," the agent ordered.

"Jiya knows nothing about Rittenhouse and I would really like to keep it that way," Rufus told her with a glare.

"I hate to say it," Wyatt told him with a sigh. "But Agent Christopher's right. We need her, Rufus. You've got to get her back inside of Mason Industries."

Lucy pulled herself out of Wyatt's arms for that news. "Rufus, you know I love Jiya too but...if Rittenhouse has control of the Lifeboat then this is all _so much_ _worse_. We need every ally we can find."

Her eyes met Wyatt's and tried to silently remind him of the conversation they had the other night. The one about all the ways Rittenhouse could manipulate them if Time Travel was an option, about all the ways they had likely _already succeeded_. They couldn't let that happen. _They couldn't_.

Rufus sighed in resignation and nodded. "Fine, I'll call her. I don't like it. But I'll do it. You're all right. I know we need all hands on deck."

Denise nodded. "That especially includes the three of you. They took my badge. I can't get in the building anymore. I need people on the inside. You're all I've got."

Agent Christopher glanced around at each of them and made sure to meet their eyes one at a time.

"Will you help me?" She asked.

"I'm in," Rufus answered immediately. "I refuse to let them keep threatening me and my family. This ends now."

Lucy turned her watery eyes on Wyatt with a rueful look before she spoke. "I'm in too. They can't keep screwing with my life. My decisions, my future, that's _mine_ and I won't let them take it. I'll help, however I can."

Wyatt nodded and glanced from Lucy to Agent Christopher. "If she's in, then I'm in. What do you need us to do?"

"You realize if you agree to this, there's no turning back?" Denise asked them. "You're in this until the very end. There's no exit strategy in mind."

Wyatt glanced over at Rufus and then Lucy, searching their faces for any signs of doubt or weakness. He must not have found any because he then turned an eager look on the Homeland Security agent.

"We're aware, ma'am. We know the risks. But if not us _then who_?" He asked her. "Who are you going to find that's willing to fight Flynn _and_ Rittenhouse no matter how the odds stack up? No, we're it. We all know it. There's nobody else _but us_. So, I'm going to ask again, Agent Christopher." He paused and gave Denise the full force of his stern blue eyes. "What do you need us to do?"

Her entire life may be in shambles around her, and a part of her may want to run and hide, but she knew Wyatt was right. They were the only hope anyone had right now. It was the four of them against the world. A great many things had been taken from her in the span of a few days, but they wouldn't take anything else. She wouldn't let them.

Yes, she was scared. Terrified, actually. She was afraid of her parents, of Rittenhouse, of Flynn and his mysterious journal. But she still had Wyatt. She would _always_ have Wyatt. Foolish or not, she was confident that as long as they were together they could handle _anything_.

Lucy listened closely as Agent Christopher detailed her plan. Now was the time to fight back. She could mourn her losses later. Right now she needed to focus.

On Rittenhouse. On Flynn. On Rufus. And on _Wyatt_.

Wyatt's calm and calculating gaze focused on Christopher's every move, but slowly she felt his hand drift toward hers and his fingers thread through her own. It was a much needed reminder that from here on out they would fight their battles side by side. She wasn't alone. She would never be truly alone. Not anymore.

And after all, she thought with a tiny grin, couples who take down secret cults together, _stay_ together. Don't they?

* * *

_"Actions are the seed of fate; deeds grow into destiny." - Harry S. Truman_

* * *

_fin._


End file.
